What comes to mind when you think of Birmingham?

I'm saying less than 50% of the people on the streets of Birmingham, if you took a random sample would be speaking English, not that less than 50% can speak English.

I'm not trolling you are and you're making excuses for it, I have blown my brain fuse and i'm not 100%, you wanna troll further you know how to PM me. Don't take the thread OT

I'm stating that when I think of Birmingham I think of attempted muggings and understanding less than half the conversations I hear. I'm going by personal, relevant, current experience.

This agrees with you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demography_of_Birmingham and this don't.

I'm not taking the thread OT or trolling, just trying to understand a comment you made. You're too defensive around me though, put me on ignore or something if you don't like people asking you to back-up your opinions.

Wort, oh sorry... Word.

The thread asks peoples opinions, that's mine, I backed it up.
I'm defensive around everyone, you receive no special treatment from me. I'll back them up, I just have a sore head right now, so I bite with more teeth than usual

Might be I took your post wrong then, it just read as a Daily Mail rant, but I don't know... plus my reality and your reality are different, I live here and you're here a couple of days a week.

Don't bite though, it's only the internet mate

Tomorrow I will read this thread and make a list of all the wonderful things listed that make Birmingham such a beautiful place

That's entirely possible, it wasn't as deep and meaningful as you took it. But it is my opinion of Brum.

I'm rarely in brum for more than a few hours and i've been victim to one attempted theft/mugging in New St station, my mate nearly got pick pocketed 3 times in the bull ring (she is a saft landaner and her bag contents are insured so she wasn't too bothered), that can't be good that the sum total of mayb 20 visits to brum in my life are figure headed by criminal activity...

coventry's little better but that's not where this thread is about

I like to bite, the internet is the best place for it.

.

The canals, i know they've been mentioned by others, this is my SRS'd 'icon of brum' (the cat is just in pause motion waiting for next life to kick in )

My dad used to take me to the superprix thing when I were a nipper. We used to sit on the grassy mound that is sited where the current Joseph Chamberlain college is and watch the cars race up belgrave middleway etc.

Was awesome. Ive heard that some council peeps are keen on bringing it back, I think it would be cool if they used the same route for a pro bike race the day before or whatevs.

i overheard of plans for a sportif around the city this year organised in conjunction with the Uni, closed roads, marshalls, timing cards, all that jazz.

when?

In the summertime, sometime, I don't know. I was standing behind someone in a lift talking about it.

Portland Club....Thats the fella....

Ladywood on Icknield Port Road. I am an old fart too.

A few incidents that have happened to you Simps and you tar the whole city with the same brush!!

You get bad behaviour even in the sticks...its not the the location it is the people..

I know someone who slagged off Bearwood and is originally from the biggest shithole imo on earth..

Anyway get back on topic..

Chances Glass Works, that was enourmous, also lets not forget Averey's plus Galton Bridge, was that not one of the first cast Iron Bridges built in the country?

Er don't the people shape the environment?

meh I clearly know nothing and my opinion is invalid . End

[/flounce mode]

That's entirely possible, it wasn't as deep and meaningful as you took it. But it is my opinion of Brum.

I'm rarely in brum for more than a few hours and i've been victim to one attempted theft/mugging in New St station, my mate nearly got pick pocketed 3 times in the bull ring (she is a saft landaner and her bag contents are insured so she wasn't too bothered), that can't be good that the sum total of mayb 20 visits to brum in my life are figure headed by criminal activity...

I agree with you about the jigsaw puzzle analogy, Birmingham was never "designed" different bits were added at different times. And a lot of this randomly added stuff has been rushed and poorly thought out for the long term. This is what makes so much stuff "temporary" things here get knocked down every 20-30 years.

The Hammer and the slogan "forward" sum this up pretty much. So does the bull ring. They wanted to dramatically change the grey mish mash skyline of Birmingham with a fancy new shopping complexes. So they build a flagship shopping centre of which the centrepiece is made of plywood covered in grey plastic discs. basically a big greyish-white building With some green glass and cheap red bricks, which made it look naff and dated before it was even done being built. the council are also deeply proud of Broad street and boast about it at every opportunity, something that does not compute. Custard factory developments are coming along great though, probably because they were private sector.

Anyway, back to your issue of getting mugged/Birmingham crime. I think it simply has a lot to do with being a visitor in the city. the only person I know that has been mugged anywhere near the city centre was a 1st year norwegian student who was on the canal in Ladywood. I cant even remember ever seeing any shifty potential muggers near places like Train Station/high street etc. Never ever seen a mugging/handbag grabbing in the city centre and ive been here a long time.

Everytime I visit London however, I get multiple mugging attempts, more or less on every street corner. Dodgy people wanting to know the time, or me to "come over here" - classic mugger intro's!

Im guessing this happens a lot less for locals. Visitors in places tend to stand out, perhaps looking a little lost. Body language is a powerful thing I think.

Everytime I visit London however, I get multiple mugging attempts, more or less on every street corner. Dodgy people wanting to know the time, or me to "come over here" - classic mugger intro's!

Im guessing this happens a lot less for locals. Visitors in places tend to stand out, perhaps looking a little lost. Body language is a powerful thing I think.

Never had an attempted or successful mugging in London.

Body language is powerful, so is my elbow..lol at mugger left doubled up in NewStreet Station

Barcelona is a beautiful city ruined by muggers ,ive lived here all my life and never been threatened in that way
anybody old enough to remember this ?

yes

Yes...

Metal Working

Coal and Iron mining

Factories

Something like this with mallets crossed

The anvil seems spot on.

After reading a few B'ham historical sites this is what I came up with.

Don't think there were coal mines, we used to make things but Sheffield is more synonymous with the steel industry, we're cars, guns and jewellery.

Don't think there were coal mines, we used to make things but Sheffield is more synonymous with the steel industry, we're cars, guns and jewellery.

True. Merry Hill sits on top of a massive abandoned coal mine (but of course, not in Birmingham) Here is what I found on Birmingham: brass and iron founding, saddlery, military accoutrements, fire-arms, swords, and cutlery of various kinds; jewellery; gold, silver, plated, and japanned goods; buttons; medals; gilt, silver, ivory, bone, and other toys; glass; wood-turnery; metalrolling; tools and implements of all kinds; mills; machinery of all sorts; and steam-engines on every known principle. Casting, modelling, die-sinking, engraving, and other processes connected with the various manufactures, have likewise been brought to the greatest perfection; also the cutting of glass link

We almost certainly did do all those things but it's cars, guns and jewellery if you ask anyone from out of town to typify B'ham industry.
I know you know but the logo needs to scream B'ham, like the Ozzy/Sabbath one did (kind of if the person knew fuck all about music).
It's like saying that Maxwell House coffee typifies Nashville when although there's a massive link most people think Nashville equals Music Row and the Grand Ol' Opry.

I like the BSA logo I mentioned, DFP seconded and you searched out...

Become west mids BP and you can include Coventry - where the push bike was born!

I think we should borrow red bull's logo a bit, put a rider on each with a mallet almost jousting, turn the bull's bronze and voila, most people probably think of the bull ring when they think of brum...

or the bling and guns.

we made these things