freeThinkBham

Hey everyone, my name is Andrew, and Progressive Wining is my little sideshow for all you fellow FreeThinkers.

In our Big Red state of Alabama, I’ve heard progressives referred to as “wine-sipping elitists” more than a few times, but all too often people who want to learn more about wine have no clue where to begin their studies, that’s where I come in.

Wine is food, wine is fun, and more often than not, wine is simple. Most people have paired a great Cabernet with an awesome steak plenty of times, but what about pairing a tasty Riesling with a takeout bag full of spicy Rojo, Taj India, or in a pinch at 3AM, Taco Bell. The possibilities are endless!

In the future, I hope to tell you about ways that we can support small wineries, organic farmers, and avoid the big wine conglomerates, but for now, I’m going to start with helping you delve into the local wine scene.

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akbrim Living Alabama, Birmingham, Wine

Hello, all. I would just like to take this time to suggest that you consider adding something to this blog. FreeThinkBham isn’t just about my opinions; it’s about revealing the oft-hidden desire for progressive social and political change in Birmingham to other residents who might not be in the know.

That’s the beauty of blogs: an individual’s specialty or wealth of knowledge can become something of public record. If someone knows a lot about a certain topic, that knowledge should be compiled, condensed, and put into the “blogosphere” so others can benefit by easily learning something about Birmingham that may have taken the writer years to discover… or even a lifetime. This is what being a “community” is all about. You should take what you know, share it, and learn from others.

Birmingham, especially, needs to hear from the few forward-thinking young minds that exist in this town. Where else are we going to learn about the more liberal topics in this city that matter to us? Certainly not from the Birmingham News. That was my vision for FreeThinkBham: to become an easy spot for someone to find out what’s happening in the under-belly of an otherwise very conservative part of the country. But I need help. I work full time and can’t update the site as much as I’d like. And mostly, I just don’t know everything that’s going on in this town! That’s where you come in. Are you starting a responsible business? Do you know about an upcoming function or event for social change? Are you just mad about some of the business-as-usual in Birmingham? Let me know about it! I can post something from an email or I can set you up with a guest account, and you can just start updating all you want!

I’ll give you a list of topics that FreeThinkBham is big on. If any of these strike you as a topic in your field of expertise or even just experience, please consider contributing to this blog. Topics: politics, living green, social empowerment (women’s health, LGBT, racism, economics), gardening, spirituality, health, art, education, drug law reform, DIY, vegetarianism/veganism, pets, biking, food, and probably much more that I’m forgetting.

I really hope you’ll take this into consideration, people. Birmingham needs to hear from you! We have to let this town know that there are people here who don’t fit the usual mold, and blogging is one of the most effective ways to do that!

admin General anarchist, Birmingham, communist, democrat, liberal, progressive, socialist

Yes, I know… nobody likes that word… “hipster.” But I’m trying to create a guide for people like me and it’s a word that I would find myself wanting to Google if I was new to a town or about to move there. That is why I’m creating this guide. I want people new to the Birmingham area or having to move here (god bless you) to have an easy way of finding out where to hang, drink, meet people, whatever. And let’s face it: “hipster” culture–or whatever name you want to give our slightly alternative lifestyle–isn’t something that’s just on the forefront of Birmingham; you have to dig a little to find it, and trust me: you don’t want to waste your time doing that. I’m hoping that this guide will make it a little easier for people like me to integrate into the Birmingham area. Let’s get started…

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admin Living alcohol, apartments, bars, Birmingham, booze, Bottletree Cafe, food, groceries, hair stylist, hipster, music, shopping, tattoos, vegan, vegetarian

These are, indeed, demoralizing times. The richest are getting richer. Everyone we know is getting laid off. Homelessness is skyrocketing; putting decent people out onto freezing streets. Nothing is happening with the wars, the poor, the education system, the food system, the political system. There’s absolutely no way progressives around the country can be feeling energized right now. Here in Birmingham, progressives have had even more shame to deal with as our local leaders steal from us and collude with big business and banks and do absolutely nothing to better our city.

What we need is a shot of encouragement. Even the smallest of achievements or victories could breathe new spirit into us and the movement for social change. We just need something to get us kick-started again like the months before the last Presidential election.

This small accomplishment for the progressives of Birmingham is to get Patrick Cooper elected as mayor.

The runoff election is only a few days away on Tuesday, January 19th. We need to be doing everything we can to get this man elected if we want to feel the empowerment of taking a step in the right direction. I encourage you to get in touch with your progressive friends and neighbors. Figure out what you can do to accomplish this goal. Print out a flyer to hang in your building or pass out in your neighborhood about why Cooper should be elected. Arrange a carpool to the polls. Text/Email all of your Birmingham friends a message about the January 19th election and tell them to forward it on. Even the slightest amount of effort could be rewarded handsomely if we manage to get such a forward-thinking, level-headed man into the Birmingham mayor’s office.

I know it’s hard to think about helping out an entire city when you are currently feeling so depressed and ineffective on a personal level. But the only way to fight this feeling is to give yourself some purpose and focus your energy on achieving even a small victory, if not for Birmingham, at least just for yourself. Electing Patrick Cooper as mayor is the way to regain some progressive momentum in a town that is dying both physically and spiritually. Will you answer this call, Birmingham? I hope you do!

admin Politics Birmingham, mayoral election, Patrick Cooper, Run-off election