They're out in craxyhippieland (Berkeley)

Ahem.

Yay!

The Ford Motor Company today released the following letter (below) clarifying that whatever did or did not happen behind closed doors with the American Family Association (AFA) two weeks ago, the company is NOT backing off of its support for the gay community or gay advertising (in contrast to what was reported over the past two weeks).

According to the AFA and media reports over the past two weeks, in order to avoid a boycott from the extremist gay-hating organization, Ford allegedly agreed to:

1. No longer run ads promoting Jaguar or Land Rover in the gay press.

2. No longer support gay events or organizations.

3. Continue running Volvo ads in the gay press, but no longer tailor those ads to the gay community (i.e., in the future such ads would be the same ads that are run in the mainstream media, rather than the crafting the ads to appeal to a gay readership).

Ford addressed and resolved each of our three concerns regarding the above:

1. Ford announced that it will continue to support gay organizations and gay events in the coming year and beyond.

2. Ford is going to run advertisements in the gay media NOT ONLY promoting the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, but the ads will promote ALL of Fords brands, by name, including Jaguar and Land Rover.

3. Ford states unequivocally that it will continue to tailor its ads for the specific audience it is trying to reach, and then goes one step further. Ford challenges us to keep an eye out on their upcoming ads in order to verify that they will in fact be tailored.

There is no other way to read this than that Ford did the right thing. Whether or not an agreement was reached with the American Family Association - and the AFA has a record of crowing about such "victories" when no such victory occurred (sounds a lot like our president) - Ford has rectified the real or perceived problem, and the AFA has been shown to have no clothes (other than a very rusty chastity belt).

[link]

Berkeley Rep is hella easy to find. And it's across the street from the Capoeira cafe!

Cool. Ford tough.

Capoeira Cafe? Dare I ask?

Network still down. Want to go home.

Capoeira Cafe? Dare I ask?

Capoeira Arts is a "colorful multi-purpose global village where you can sip a cappucino to the rhythmic beat of a berimbau. Most of the time you can watch a Capoeira class practicing sweeps, high kicks and handstands. You can consume your meal to the mesmerizing background of the musical instruments and chanting."

It's a coffee shop that has a back area where they teach Capoeira. JZ took a few classes there, I think.

I think we should all go home. It'll be like Buffista Skip Day.

Network came back up. I'm kinda sad now.

I think I would be freaked out by doing capoeira where random people could see me.

Capoeira Cafe? Dare I ask?

They kick you in the coco beans. Gracefully.

Yes, I did take classes there, and stopped mainly because I sucked.

ita, the classes are in a back area behind the cafe that random people can kinda see if they're trying. Semi-visible, but not really. Much less visible than the gigantic wall-of-windows gym right next door.

juliana, heh. That's exactly where I thought it would be, and yup, as everyone else said, it's two short blocks from the downtown Berkeley station. Also right by a terrific comic book store whose name I'm brainfarting on, the Other Change of Hobbit Bookstore, Half Price Books, and an excellent gelato shop. Get there early if you can and putter about, or walk the neighborhood at the lunch break.

Also, there's lots of keen art and poetry pressed into the sidewalk all up and down that block of Addison between Shattuck and Milvia.

Sigh. Sometimes I miss my old neighborhood.

They kick you in the coco beans. Gracefully.

Capoeira? With groin kicks? Cool. Also, rare.