Notes of a riot

Last night (8/8/11) the riots, which began in London following the shooting of a suspected gang member, spread out across the country and reached Birmingham City Centre around 7pm. Mindless violence, arson, looting and muggings continued right into the early hours of this morning leaving many areas in and around the city centre destroyed. This post compiles a selection of the news coverage surrounding the Birmingham riots.

Birmingham Riots 2011 Tumblr

At 7.44pm a live update of the events happening in Birmingham City Centre began, which went on to detail the senseless violence and destruction over a 7 hour period; with a blogger known as @CaseyRain posting pictures, videos and comments from the public showing the progress of the riots throughout the city centre and out into areas such as Kings Heath, Hansworth and Walsall. Below are some of the comments left by vigilant members of the blogosphere on the live Tumblr:

• 8:38 pm - kidsxheroes said: "Friends of mine in the city (who are now trying to get out) have said The Square Peg pub on Corporation St has been smashed up too."
• 9:04 pm - Reports of riots spreading to Chelmsley Wood, Perry Barr, Aston, Erdington, Handsworth…
• 10:26 pm - thepoetmagi said: "The Childrens hospital has been hit. Rioters were smashing windows and attempted to bomb steelhouse lane police station. My friends mum was there and was escorted out of the hospital by police. I assume other people were too!!"
• 12:55 am - Police station fire in Handsworth confirmed. Also reports of looting at Cash & Carry on Nineveh Road and elsewhere around Handsworth. Reports of trouble in Northfield and Selly Oak as well as the gay quarter in city centre where a man was apparently attacked by a gang of people and stomped on before being pulled to safety by a
  passing car, outside of the Missing Bar.
• 1:38 am - doodus said: "Something kicked off about 20 mins ago on Portland Rd, Edgbaston, by the Rainbow Casino. Heavy police presence, lots of shouting, a couple of shifty looking guys hanging out in driveways & behind bins, road was partly blocked and a few heavies turned up in cars.

To see the full scope of last night's events visit: http://birminghamriots2011.tumblr.com/

The Mirror

Headline: "Birmingham riots: 100 arrests as youths bring chaos to Bullring area"

Police in Birmingham have arrested around 100 people after rioters and looters rampaged across the city centre, mirroring the chaotic scenes in London.

Scores of shop windows and doors – including sportswear and mobile phones stores – were smashed by gangs as frightened shoppers and city workers looked on.

Assistant Chief Constable Sharon Rowe said: “We will not tolerate mindless violence anywhere in the West Midlands and are working hard to ensure that the offenders are identified and caught as soon as possible.”

For the full story visit: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/08/09/birmingham-riots-100-arrests-as-youths-bring-chaos-to-bullring-area-115875-23330961/

Youtube

Vast numbers of videos of the rioting and looting have gone up on Youtube over the last 12 hours. This BBC video seems to perfectly display the mindless vandalism which occurred yesterday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY-kaVSCw3Y&NR=1

The Telegraph

Headline: "Birmingham hit by riots as internet campaign encourages violence"

As an estimated 200 youths, many of them hooded or masked, congregated, West Midlands police put up a half-mile exclusion zone around the Bullring shopping centre, which shut early at 6.40pm.

Onlookers described thugs running with knives through New Street and one photographer was set upon by a group who beat him and stole his camera.

Police were prepared for trouble after a campaign on Facebook, BlackBerry Messenger and Twitter warned of violence and encouraged others to get involved.

For the full story visit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8690273/Birmingham-hit-by-riots-as-internet-campaign-encourages-violence.html

My thoughts

The reports go on and on, with many conflicting views as to what was really behind the rioting and looting. There have been some suggestions that it was related to an increase in taxes, whilst other reports claim that it is because of the recession. Personally I fail to see either of these as being a valid excuse. Most of the looting was caused by opportunists, who jumped on the back of the rioting in order to bag themselves some free stuff from places such as Primark, Addidas and Footlocker. And this was only further proven when a spate of muggings occurred on buses in areas such as Walsall and Hansworth towards the later part of the night.

The destructing and widespread damage caused by these uneducated and violent thugs is nothing short of idiotic. If any of this was for a real purpose or cause, that has once again been lost in the senseless acts of violence, theft and vandalism that you caused in your own city - just as it was with the peaceful student protests that spiraled out of control in January of this year. Whatever point some of you felt you had to make you went about it completely the wrong way. Violence solves nothing, it only fuels the resilience of the authorities against your cause. You will not be heroes for your actions, you will only be seen as the scum which tarrs our city's name. Rebels without a cause, and no right-minded person will ever take you seriously.

I was truly proud to see the support for the police that has sprung up overnight. They handled the situation as best they could, with somewhat limited resources I might add. Facebook this morning is full of campaign pages supporting the amazing work of the police force and riot teams who worked through the night to protect our city, despite being massively outnumbered on all accounts.

This morning Twitter is brimming with unity and a sense of local togetherness with http://www.riotcleanup.com/ forming to help the nation join together to correct the mistakes of last night. Hundreds of people have headed to the Bull at 10am this morning to help put our city centre back together, and nothing makes me more proud to be a Brummie than to see how our sense of community stands tall in the face of all this mindless destruction.

What happened in Birmingham last night was worthless, pointless and disgusting. When it boils down to it, our city has been attacked by our own...and for what? I hope the stolen gear and senseless rage you showed last night were worth it, because today our local economy will be suffering as our businesses try to put themselves back together, and the residents and workers of the city - who's property and jobs you have put in jeopardy - will be trying to make sense of why they had to be caught up in the destruction you inflicted for your completely lost cause.

It is poignant to note, however, that amongst the broken glass and burnt out stores one thing remains solid as a rock - and that is Birmingham's sense of what is good and right, along with the knowledge that we are at our strongest when we are united. Be proud to be a part of the Birmingham community and support that in whatever way you can.

Fruits of July

July has been a less than favourable month for me weather wise, but we did get a few good days so I whipped up some nice little outfits for my sunny moments.

The necklace is H&M (£12) and was a gift from one of my Women Folk, the top is actually borrowed from my sister - but I have it on good authority that it is also H&M - and the skirt is Primark (£16). Topped off with my favourite Primark bling for £2, and the good-old horse belt for £1.50. I wore this out for my friend's birthday as it was dressy enough for a celebration without being too much for a bar crawl in the middle of the afternoon. The skirt is just beautiful on, as it's so light and floaty.

The top is a Topshop steal for £12 in last year's sale I believe, the shorts are New Look (£16), the tights are Primark (£2) and the brogues are also a Primarni classic for £8. And of course the horse belt is making another appearance! I obviously wear it far too much...! This is a great summer outfit if the weather outside is looking far from summery, as the shorts keep in current but the tights keep you dry.

The double denim look has always been a tricky one but I was hoping I'd got the right mixture just keeping it to the top half? Sunglasses are New Look (£5), the denim shirt is from an ex-catalogue store in the Bullring Link called Hypnotic where everything is £7 (bargain!), the denim crop is Topshop (£16), the leggings are Primark (£5) and the boots are New Look are were only £21.99 - which is the best money I've spent on shoes in a long time as these boots will last an age. I wore this camping recently but it would work equally well as festival-wear, as it's comfortable, casual and a bit edgy.

I'm always on the hunt for new trends and can never seem to stick to one style of dress for too long, so stay tuned for more monthly updates.

On the hunt

This week has brought about the start of my forth week as an official ex-student, so I thought I'd let you all know how I've been getting on in my quest to become a fully-fledged Journo.

To date I have applied for around 20 different jobs, ranging from writer, online reporter, social media manager, press officer...if it's media related you can pretty much bet I've applied for it. I have gone out of my way not to limit myself to one particular area of the media industry in my first steps towards finding a job, as I think whatever position I manage to secure straight out of Uni has the possibility to teach me so much about the industry I so badly crave to work in. Plus, as a fresh-faced Uni graduate, I don't have years of industry experience stacked under my belt so just getting a foot in the door at this early stage of my career is taxing enough.

I have so far secured myself a place freelancing for The Experts.co.uk, where I am now a Fashion and Trend writer for their online platform. It's a on a pay-per-article basis, but at only 400 words a piece it's hardly long hard labour, so I can usually knock out several in an afternoon; making a bit of extra money for myself and helping to build my published portfolio in the process.

I did get one knock-back a couple of weeks ago, unfortunately. I was denied the chance to be interviewed for a position as a Social Media and Content Manager for a PR company based in the Custard Factory, Birmingham. However, I didn't allow myself to become too down about this, as I lost out on the job simply due to a lack of industry experience. It wasn't that I wasn't right for the job, or that I really just cannot write, but simply that I am a graduate and they had a high volume of much more experienced applicants. The nice people at the PR company even emailed me to say that despite them choosing to progress with the more experienced applicants, my application was a very strong one for a entry level or graduate position - so that cheered me up a fair bit!

I have also had some interest back about my application to become the Press Officer for a Birmingham law firm, and just yesterday I received a response regarding my application to become a graduate Communications Executive - so I am very much hoping that one of these positions is right for me.

It can be incredibly frustrating job hunting post-graduation because you are so desperate to get out into the real world and start making the most of your degree. After all, it has taken three long hard years of your life, and it is nice when you can put it to good use. The main problem with job hunting post-graduation is that you are up against all of the other graduates who are sporting the same qualifications as you. This is where your attempts to involve yourself in your chosen industry by carrying out unpaid work placements really helps to boost your appeal to potential employers.

If I could give any undergraduates some advice about preparing for the world of work after graduation, it would comprise of two elements. Firstly, make the effort to take on as many work placements as possible, don't just preform the required hours. There is no excuse for not doing a few weeks over the holidays, as this shows a real willingness to learn and an enthusiasm to work in your chosen industry. Secondly, start searching early. One of my friends started job hunting a couple of weeks before graduation and she is the only one to be offered a full time job so far. If you leave it too late you end up having to compete with a whole heap more graduates, and that quite obviously narrows your chances. Believe me, this was the big mistake on my part!

I shall keep you updated with the job hunt and any other little pointers I discover along the way. Keep your fingers crossed for me though, as I could already be on to something good...

June Delights

I realised I haven't produced a Fashion wishlist post in a while now so I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite outfits from June 2011.

The top is Primark (£12), the belt is Primark (£1.50), the jeans are New Look (£15.99) and the shoes are H&M (£7.99). I love this outfit because it's comfortable, can be worn as day-wear but is still quite sexy thanks to the sheer fabric of the top.

This whole outfit is Primark - The denim jacket is £15, the top is £4, the belt is £1.50, the bag was £8, the skirt was £8 and the shoes are £18. I love this outfit because it is so summery. You can dress the skirt down with flat shoes or glads, or dress it up for a night out with big heels as I have above.

The jacket was a steal from the H&M sale at only £10! The dress is New Look's Apricot range (£27.99) and the shoes are Primark (£12). I wore this out for my sister's birthday meal in the Mailbox and the outfit turned a few heads, so I'd say it was definitely a winner.

You may have also noticed my obsession with the Primark horse belt, as I have got it on in every picture! I don't wear it every day, but it does just go with so many outfits that I can't help throwing it on all the time. Well worth the £1.50!

I shall update again soon with more monthly favourites.

The Negative Consequences of a Drunken Fool

I know I have been a bad blogger as of late, but the last few months of Uni have stretched me to my limits and finding the time to sit and write for leisure's sake rather than for the needs of my course was an impossibility unfortunately. However, Uni is now over and I am now off out into the world of work (I shall keep you posted on the job hunt over the following weeks) - but until the eagerly awaited day comes when a great company decides they simply cannot function without me and snaps me up as their latest recruit, I have the time to dedicate to my writing here on Twenty-one and Invincible.

So...I'm back and boy have I got a story for you! Having been invisibly tied to my computer for the last two months on an almost permanent basis I decided that my first week as an official ex-student should be spent catching up with my friends, who I have to admit I had neglected whilst in my darkest hours of facing many looming deadlines. So first stop was a drink in my local with the lads.

As it was a Sunday, I was hardly expecting it to be a mad one, but certain people had other ideas! On arrival I found one of my friends to be suffering the pitfalls of that old chestnut "one too many" - he was loud, lairy and somewhat out of control, so his car keys were confiscated and he was sent up to one of the B&B rooms to sleep it off. So that was one of us down and out already, and it had barely gone 9 o'clock!

As the night progressed, the drinks flowed and frivolity took over. The pub had the jukebox blaring and myself and some other pub-goers got up for a dance. There was lots of silliness and a fair bit of banter - even some impromptu pole dancing lessons of behalf of myself and a very fit and healthy 60 year-old - but it was all in good fun, and everyone was having a good time.

Little did we know that the devil "one too many" was about to rear it's ugly head again so soon. What follows next is still a little bit of blur, as it happened too fast for me to register, so you will have to bare with me. I was propped up on the bar, rooting around in my bag for my phone or lipgloss or something of the like, when I felt this heavy weight press down on my left shoulder. It was so heavy in fact that my knees gave way and I struggled not to fall off my 6-inch heels! I looked over my shoulder to tell whoever it was leaning on me to remove themselves, when I heard this almighty smash and was immediately showered with bits of broken glass and china.

At this point I think I was momentarily in shock as I tried to register what had happened. The pub had gone completely silent and all eyes were on me and the destruction that now surrounded me. I turned around to find a drunken fool grinning like a Cheshire cat at the antique lamp hanging above my head which he had just smashed into a million pieces. I did not see how this had happened of course, but was informed later that this gentleman had been attempting some Jackie Chan moves and had round-house kicked the lamp over my head, whilst using me as a prop to help propel himself off the floor!

Once the immediate shock of being showered in broken glass had worn off and I had checked I was not cut or bleeding, I suddenly realised how incredibly lucky I was not to have been seriously injured. If I had turned to look over my other shoulder at the exact moment that this fool had kicked the lamp this story might be a very different one, as my face would have been towards the barrage of broken china and glass and I could have been scarred for life or even blinded. Upon realising this I think it is fair to say I lost my temper quite a bit, and though I shall not detail the ins and outs of my torrent here, the gentleman it was aimed at got the very clear impression that I was not best pleased with his actions. He was, of course, escorted from the pub by several friends of mine, who were not too pleased with his sudden out burst of material arts either.

As silly as it may sound in hindsight, I could not get over how lucky I had been. If the glass had hit my face instead of the back of my head who knows the lasting damage it could of caused. For simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time I could be suffering from a serious injury now, and that really is just unthinkable.

Thankfully I wasn't seriously hurt, just a little shaken up by how reckless some people can be when they've been drinking. This man was well into his forties and may possibly have had children not far from my age, yet he had little to no concern for my well-being at all. He knew full well that I was right underneath the lamp he was about to smash to pieces and even held on to me whilst he did it, so there was never any chance that I wouldn't have ended up covered in broken glass. We all do stupid things under the influence of alcohol; many of us will have woken up and remembered sending an embarrassing text to an ex, mixing up your words as you try to talk or even falling over due to your inebriation - but the only person that is really affecting is yourself. I have never caused harm to another person because of what I have had to drink, and I would like to think I never will.

It is these little incidents that make you realise that "one too many" is not always just the cause of some rather outrageous banter; sometimes it can be the reason why someone ends up seriously hurt, and as a forty-something he should really have known better. I did receive a lovely big bunch of flowers the following day by way of an apology, but I still think that the gentleman in question needs to consider the fact that his drunken tom-foolery could have resulted in a very nasty situation, and it was not just himself that he could have ended up hurting. So much for a quiet drink in the pub ay!

Eat better, sleep better, be better?

After a month of back to back parties I am glad to be having a few weeks off the beer and without the late nights to re-cooperate. After all, I'm a twenty-one year old who's starting to look every inch her age...and then some! So as May rolls into play, and with my dissertation, project and exhibition deadlines looming on the horizon, I have had a new burst of "better myself" energy and have made a solid resolution to eat better, sleep more, exercise as often as I can and be more focused on my work.

This all started after I spent Sunday afternoon rolling around on a sun lounger in the back garden thanks to the mammoth hangover I'd induced as a result of three - yes three - 21st birthdays over the previous two days. Although it was the last of them, I entered the new week feeling so run down and under the weather it was unreal. There is definitely such a thing as overdoing it, and that's certainly what I had done.

So, I came home from work Monday, had a decent tea of pasta and meatballs and then scurried off to bed as soon as I could to rest up, and be up bright and early the next day. Tuesday I woke at 8am, went straight down stairs and wrote an article for my final year project and then got stuck in to a good chunk of dissertation writing - and all before lunch. By the time the evening rolled around, I was feeling much calmer and more relaxed, knowing I had done my work and made the most of my day, so I treated myself to a meal out with the boyfriend, followed by a quiet night in.

After complaining about how rough I felt and how run down I'd been to the Mr for most of the night, he made a point of suggesting it might be down to my rather poor, mostly junk-filled diet. I was just about to protest when I realised that he was probably right. I'm very lucky that I can eat whatever I want and barely put on a pound; I've never been on a diet and usually only exercise in the run up to a holiday. But I really don't think I put half the stuff I should into my system, as I'm not a lover of fruit and veg and I don't eat a great deal of red meat either - so there must be some major nutrients and vitamins that I'm just not getting.

So, first step towards a healthier me came with a resolution to eat more fruit and veg. So far I've managed an orange and a jacket potato, but it's a start! Secondly I have decided to get back to the gym more often, although it has been hard with all the work I've had on. I've seen it as being an hour in the gym that could be spent doing my work and therefore I've barely been going, but I did go for an hour-long jog last night and did a set of stomach crunches when I got home - and I do feel all the better for it today.

Further more, I have decided that as there are probably a few nutrients and vitamins that my diet doesn't include very often I should probably give my body a helping hand in that department, so I'm setting out tomorrow in search of general Good Health vitamins to try and balance out what my system is likely to be missing. Don't worry, I'm not going to get crazy and pepped up on diet pills - that definitely is not what I need - but taking some all-round good health vitamins and maybe drinking some herbal tea every day can only do good things for me.

So, the health kick has started once again, and I'll keep you updated on how it goes. I do wonder how long it will last for this time?! But having said that, I'm off on holiday in July and I do need to be looking far better than I am doing right now. Wish me luck!

Diary of a Birmingham Party Girl (March)

She’s back, and boy has she been busy! In this month’s diary snippet, The Party Girl has been searching further afield than just the City Centre, as has been sampling venues in places from Tyburn to Moseley. With reviews on another 4 venues, sit back and enjoy the Diary of a Birmingham Party Girl...

March 10^th – Nandos

It’s the boyfriend’s birthday today, and despite being told it was my treat and he could go any where he wanted, he chose Nandos at The Fort Shopping Centre, out near Tyburn. Hardly the lavish birthday meal I was expecting him to opt for, but for a chicken-lover such as he is, there is no better place. It is quite simply a spicy chicken haven!

Famous for its unique Peri-Peri marinade, Nandos is a bustling and often busy restaurant chain that serves a wide variety of Mexican chicken dishes to suit all tastes. The restaurant was brightly lit, with colourful paintings on the walls and an authentic Mexican theme throughout.

The menu is quite unique in it’s design, as you choose your main, then you choose from a selection of sides, then you choose the spice of the marinade on your chicken (ranging from plain to extra hot), and then you can choose to an extra such as cheese to your burger or Peri-Peri salt to your fries.

You can choose from chicken on the bone, family platters, burgers, pittas and wraps as your main, and add chips, spicy rice, corn on the cob, and even Macho peas (made with parsley, mint and chilli). It’s not all just chicken on the menu though, as Nandos also offer a Steak Roll and Veggie, Beanie and Mushroom burgers, wraps and pittas too.

Prices for most main meals are in the region of £8-£9 for a main with two sides, so it certainly won’t break the bank and you do get good portion sizes. Nandos also has its own range of Peri-Peri sauces that you can taste and try, and I love to splash a selection of these all over my burger and chips!

It does feel slightly like an upmarket fast-food restaurant in some ways, as you have to order your food at the till and pay upfront – and it can be quiet noisy and crowded at times. The food, however, makes up for all of that. Nandos has to be one of my favourite places to eat; it’s reasonably priced, the portion sizes are definitely enough to fill you up and there really isn’t anything quite like Nandos chicken.

March 24^th – Llyods Bar & Walkabout

Tonight Arcane’s Press Officer Rachel and I headed to Birmingham for a spot of fun and frivolity, whilst we discussed the future plans for Arcane. It turned out to be an eventful evening for all the wrong reasons, but that’s another story entirely! So instead I’ll just stick to telling you all about the two venues we visited tonight.

We first headed to Llyods Bar, which was surprisingly quite for a Thursday. The bouncers took about ten minutes to check our IDs and let us in (as they were too busy messing around with their phones taking pictures of themselves, would you believe), which could be a reason for why there were no other young people in the whole place except for us! We then waited a further five minutes at the bar, despite the fact we were the only ones waiting to be served, as the bar staff were too busy talking to notice we were waiting. Not a great start to the evening at all really.

I have always liked the layout of Broad Street’s Lloyds Bar, as there are plenty of places to sit, and a separate dance floor area, so that you can choose to get up and dance or sit down and relax – which is a nice change from most of the bars and clubs in Birmingham, as most have very little seating and you have no choice but to stand on the dance floor all night, even if you don’t want to dance.

The drinks aren’t too pricey, as it is another conquest of the Wetherspoons group (see February’s Diary for full drinks and food list), but for me the atmosphere was all wrong tonight. It’s usually a lively and exciting bar to be in of a weekend, but tonight we sat in near silence amongst a large group of business men and woman, who were just there to wind down after a hard days work. They weren’t doing anything wrong in that, but it definitely didn’t have the upbeat party atmosphere we were looking for, so we moved on.

Instead we headed next door to Walkabout, which quite frankly was a mistake this evening! Once we had queued to have our IDs checked, and then queued to pay our entry fee, we then spent a good 20 minutes queuing at the bar. I do understand that it was busy in there, but after Rachel had already been served the barmaid walked away without bothering to serve me, and went off to serve down the other end of the very long bar. I must have stood there for ages trying to catch the attention of someone, and it was only when I started huffing at the fact that people who had just arrived at the bar were getting served before me, did the barman who had been ignoring me for ten minutes decide it was finally my turn!

Other than the ridiculously long wait at the bar, I can’t really complain about Walkabout. The drinks are cheap, with lots of £1 shots and special offers on Vodka Redbulls and cocktails, and the music is always good in my opinion. The main point of interest for me was the great atmosphere the place had in comparison to where we had just come from. There was definitely a party vibe, which is exactly what we were looking for. The one thing that can be guaranteed with Walkabout is that it will always be full of young people and students, and there is always a good party vibe – so if that’s what you’re looking for on a night out, then Walkabout might just be the place to head.

March 30^th – Diwan Restaurant

This evening I joined the rather crazy women of Pinsent Masons law firm (in Birmingham) for a meal at a small Indian restaurant in Moseley. I wanted to wander a bit further afield in my search of great venues in Birmingham, and I thought it would be interesting to see where other people choose to spend their time, so the Diwan Restaurant seemed the ideal place.

I have to say, the place totally won me over. It might have been down to the brilliant company I was keeping this evening, but I’ve got the feeling it had much more to do with the delicious food on offer. The only whinge for me really was that we were a large party of about ten, and yet they had squished us together on a table not really big enough to hold eight of us. We did ask to have a bigger table, and the restaurant wasn’t that busy when we arrived that we couldn’t have been given a bit more room, but they didn’t seem to appreciate the fact that we ended up having to climb into our seats and had next-to-no elbow room whatsoever!

Other than that slight niggle, however, the Diwan is a lovely place. The staff were friendly, the service was prompt and the menu is vast and filled with plenty of choice. The Diwan doesn’t have an alcohol licence, which might be a problem for some, but as I see it it’s a chance to “bring a bottle” instead of spending loads on expensive drinks during the night.

They have a vast range of starters (including the delightful Diwan Kebab – say it fast and see the comedy value!), mains and desserts – with mixed and half portions of the mains, meaning you can order exactly what you like, and mix and match to get the perfect meal for you. The Nann bread we had was the size of the table, and the staff will even offer to alter dishes to fit your specific tastes or dietary needs, as all food is prepared fresh and as ordered.

We got everything we had asked for, just the way we liked it, and being as we were such a large table we even got free coffees with the bill. Each and every woman at the table said her food was just divine, and when the bill came it was barely £10 per head for each person’s starters and mains – so the staff made double that it tips! Despite being a bit out of the way, the Diwan is not far from town, and has free roadside parking seconds from the door. It is definitely a must-try if you are a lover of Indian cuisine and looking for something a bit different to what you have locally.