Tuesday 10 March 2015

Lad Lit Book Review: Ugly Americans by Ben Mezrich

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If you want the quick review then imagine Wolf of Wall Street in Asia with more edge. If that has tantalized your taste buds then read on.

I first read Ugly Americans about 10 years ago when it first came out. I’d just discovered Ben Mezrich through Bringing Down The House and Busting Vegas, and had become a big fan. This book, whilst perhaps not one of Mezrich’s most well-known books, is one of my favourites.

In 1993 John Malcolm throws himself into the crazy world of stockbroking in Japan. He receives a baptism of fire as the first company he works for loses hundreds of millions in a deal set-up by one of the directors, forcing him out of a job. It's not long before he ends up at Barings Bank, working for infamous rogue trader Nick Leeson who made a $2bn gamble that sent Barings into receivership and Malcolm back to the job centre.

Malcolm ends up working back with the man who brought him to Asia in the first place, Dean Carney, and that is where the fun, fortune and fame start. Malcolm soon starts to rise up the financial ladder, making deals and trades that propel him to become a star in his own right to his fellow expat western traders, before being responsible for what was called "biggest deal in the history of the financial markets."

Millions are made, and then even more millions are made, but for me the real appeal in this book comes from the backdrop of the weird and wonderful fish bowl that is Tokyo. From the downright bizarre back-alley sex clubs and fetishes of local rich businessman, to the sinister side of Japan’s underbelly, namely the Yakuza.

Like all Mezrich books there is a love interest, the daughter of a Japanese mob boss, and through this relationship Malcolm find himself rubbing shoulders with men more cut-throat than those he works alongside on the trading floor.

It's an incredible journey and Mezrich excels once again in telling the story and bringing to life a world crafted from greed, power and unimaginable wealth, held together by danger and risk at every corner.

As the title says, this really is the true story of the Ivy League cowboys who raided the Asian markets for millions.

http://stevenscaffardi.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-lad-lit-book-review.html

Monday 9 March 2015

Characters from The Drought: Jack Chatham

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The Drought: Jack Chatham
When you think of Jack Chatham, think of a cross between Danny Dyer and Jay from The Inbetweeners! Jack is a happy-go-lucky cheeky-chappy who always has something to say, and most of the time it will be totally un-PC!

He is the joker of the pack, full of banter and sarcasm. With his cockney accent, he comes across as a bit of a geezer and at five-foot-four he has been known to suffer from small-man-syndrome. But his devil-may-care attitude always keeps those around him entertained.

When it comes to girls, Jack is the guy in the group who doesn't seem to have any morals or a conscience. He is constantly playing away from his long-suffering girlfriend Anna (hence his nickname Jackie Cheatham), but his cheeky-chappy confident style makes him hard to dislike. He is a firm believer in chat-up lines and has a host of gems to choose from!

Thursday 5 March 2015

Ever wondered what it would be like if Family Guy sang Uptown Funk? Step forward Mikey Bolt...

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Mikey Bolt, you sir are a frinkin' genius! If ever there was a reason why YouTube exists, it's not because we want to see some baby bite his kid brothers finger, it's because we want to know what it would sound like to hear Stewie Griffin sing Uptown Funk! That's right people, you heard me right. Don't believe me, just watch. (see what I did there...)


And it doesn't stop there. The LA impressionist has a whole arsenal of cartoon based voices to his repertoire which he uses with hilarious consequences. I mean, imagine Peter Griffin laying down the vocals to Pharrell William's 'Happy' track....


And his talents don't stop at cartoon characters doing songs, he does pranks as well...


And if you like what you have seen here, there is plenty more over at his YouTube channel so make sure you check it out!