I went on holiday with my girlfriend to Brugge in Belgium last Christmas and had a really lovely time. One thing that I spotted was how they often had European, Belgian, Flemish and Brugge flags flying together. I felt incredibly patriotic and whilst being European I’m not any of those other things! Seeing this really added to the atmosphere of the town and made me wish to one day see the European, British, Black Country and (in my case) Halesowen flags flying together. So in my usual enthusiastic way I created a Halesowen flag to compliment the Black Country one that I had already designed. Read the rest of this entry »

……there was the concert, Pop, Rock or Jean-Michel Jarre (what ever your persuasion). Now with the wonders of modern technology we have the live concert in a cinema – yes that’s right a cinema. Read the rest of this entry »

Anthony is an author from Bromsgrove. He went to school in Rubery. He has just published the first post-election UK book on Barack Obama. Anthony’s blog is at http://www.anthonypainter.co.uk and he will be a Labour candidate for the European Parliament in West Midlands in June. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you seen the recent sales displays in sports shops advertising the Liverpool football kit? Asking a question about Liverpool maybe an unorthodox start to a blog entry about the Black Country but please bear with me! Read the rest of this entry »

Well of course I did not have it, I had a virus, and a bloody rough one (if they are sorted in to roughness – bloody comes just above ‘Good God is he still breathing?). But it’s not sympathy will I look for from you dear reader, just an understanding that being the head of the family you are not expected to be ill, but when you are sympathy is the last thing you will get from your family. Read the rest of this entry »

Came across this great project today that was started by Karen Strunks, from Birmingham.

I’m not an early bird myself, but it might be an idea to be part of a new photo project about exploring that pre-dawn world.

Check it out here 4amProject.

Flags are brilliant symbols for making yourself known. This isn’t just me spouting opinion; I can prove it. In 2004 the Scottish Executive spent £300,000 surveying the world to find out what was the best symbol to represent Scotland abroad (http://news.scotsman.com/standrewscross/Scotlands-new-symbol-foundthe-Saltire.2541007.jp) . The result wasn’t a trendy modern style logo, it was the flag. Read the rest of this entry »

Jon Bounds is Founder of a number of classic websites helping promote Birmingham including BiNS and also came up with the idea of Talk Like a Brummie day.

He’s taken some time out of his busy schedule to answer some of our random questions.

Bostin: What/when was your first website?
JB: I had a website or two before most people had heard of the interweb – I was doing
a computer science degree in the early nineties. The first was probably the
website for my semi-fictional record label ‘Bearwood Ted’s Records’ (in reality we
only put out one record by our own band – it didn’t sell), it didn’t have digital
downloads or anything like that. The other was a very basic collection of links,
which i billed as “your one stop for all your Bjorn Borg and West Bromwich Albion
news” but it wasn’t anything to do with either – I mention it now as it’s still
the best URL I ever bought (don’t have it anymore) bjornborgbaggiesbaggies.net.

Bostin: What inspired you to do BiNS?
JB: I always say it was because the council were doing such a shite job at the Capital
of Culture bid, which was probably part of the reason at the start. It’s kind of
an online fanzine really – if you can be a fan of a whole city – and I’ve been
doing fanzines for years.

Bostin: What is your favourite website and why?
JB: Could be boring and say Google Reader, as it’s the place I spend most of my time
online, but my all time favourite is b3ta.com – although I refrain from going on
it at work.

Bostin: Do you have any hidden talents?
JB: I try never to hide my light under Gary Bushell, but not many people know that I
play a mean washboard – I spent some time in a skiffle combo called Skiffilis.

Bostin: What’s your best chat up line?
JB: I have never used, or I hope been the recipient of, a chat-up line. My mate Lee
however used to say “Have you got any friends who would be interested in an
Ex-professional footballer?’. He may still, it used to work, and he was.

Bostin: Describe yourself in three words:
JB: The new DeNiro

Bostin: What’s your karaoke song of choice?
JB: There’s usually not much choice, any Slade, or ol’ Rock ‘n’ Roll. Wedge Grundy and
The Big Rons (the sometime covers band I find myself in at the moment) do a
storming Suspicious Minds – which is empty orchestra of the highest order.

Bostin: What do you love about Birmingham?
JB: The fact that I care, really. It’s good to care about something. And it’s just
small enough to make a difference in.

Bostin: What makes you feel good?
JB: Northern Soul, The Who, The Mightly Boosh, understanding something, and making
people smile. And jam on toast.

Bostin: Do you have any bad habits?
JB: Procrastin.. ah I’ll tell you later.

Bostin: Have you ever told a lie and what was it?
JB: No, and that was one.

Bostin: Have you ever flirted on the train?
JB: I rarely go on trains, I’m a bus man. Somehow flirting on a bus would be just a
little too much like asking “would you like to see what’s in my box, it’s a
camel?”

Bostin: Winter or Summer?
JB: I’m an old mod, I like coats. Winter.

Bostin: What one word best describes Birmingham?
JB: “Birmingham” is quite good, although what it means to each person is completely
different.

Bostin: What’s the song you’re most embarrassed about loving?
JB: Never be embarrassed about loving music, but I wish people – advertisers mainly -
wouldn’t ruin songs you love. Jonathan Richman’s Egyptian Reggae now means
Wheatabix, and Al Wilson’s peerless The Snake has been polluted by Lambrini of all
things.

Bostin: Red, White or Rose?
JB: You choose, actually have you got any Beck’s?

Bostin: If you could have one superpower what would it be?
JB: It would be quite handy to do the fantastic four ‘flame-on’ thing, or actually I
could just turn the central heating on.

Bostin: If you had written one song, what would it be and why?
JB: Willow’s Song from the soundtrack to the Wicker Man. I own about 10 different
cover versions of that, each one terrific.

Bostin: Which film do you wish you’d starred in and why?
JB: The Italian Job (original of course) in fact I’ve gone so far as to write a sequel
- Another Italian Job where we steal vatican gold on vespas.

Bostin: What is your ‘Time Tunnel’ year and why?
JB: 1992, the beginning of the end for grunge, the height of Stadium Techno, Popscene
by Blur and On a Ragga Tip by SL2.

Bostin: What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for someone?
JB: I’m no judge, you’ll have to ask them.

Bostin: What’s your biggest fashion faux-pas?
JB: I once wore both halves of a tracksuit at once, and not when I was playing sport.

Bostin: Have you had any disastrous dates and if so why?
JB: Ones where I’ve turned up.

Bostin: Tell us your favourite joke.
JB: I can’t remember my actual favourite ever joke, I laughed so hard I spat my beer
out and after apoligising the joke had gone. It was something to do with
werewolves and the puchline was: “and so I spent 6 months working in a silver
bullet factory”. Can anyone help?

In our second week, Philip Tibbetts continues his story of his Black Country Flag design.

For the most part I hope my design will speak for itself. However, what I will do is provide a small explanation of some of the design choices I’ve gone with. Read the rest of this entry »

As Britain is once again brought into chaos with the latest flurry of snow fall, we thought we would bring our world infamous game, The Frozen faggot fight game onto iBostin.

Like most online games, and faggots, i guess its an acquired taste if you like them or not.