| China must stop cursing the Dalai Lama and talk-US 23 Apr 2008 20:32:07 GMT Source: Reuters (Updates with Richard Gere comment in paragraphs 10-12) By Paul Eckert, Asia Correspondent WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday urged China to stop vilifying the Dalai Lama and instead talk to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader in order to achieve peace and stability in troubled, Chinese-ruled Tibet. "The Chinese government should seize the opportunity to talk to those Tibetans, represented by the Dalai Lama, who oppose violence and do not seek independence for Tibet," Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte told a U.S. Senate hearing. "Public vilification of the Dalai Lama will not help defuse the the situation," he said of China's angry tide of statements since protests erupted across Tibet in March. Negroponte told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China's response to U.S. attempts to persuade Beijing to engage in dialogue with the Dalai Lama and to allow diplomats or other observers into troubled Tibet have been "minimal at best." Lack of access to tightly controlled Tibetan areas in China wee a concern because China had detained some 4,000 people and "reports of mistreatment of detainees are numerous," he said. Negroponte said China would not achieve the stability it seeks without resolving grievances built up over decades of Chinese rule, and failure to work with the 72-year-old Buddhist leader would cede ground to extremists in the Himalayan region. "Through outreach and genuine dialogue, China and the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the vast majority of Tibetans, can begin to bridge differences, explore the meaning of genuine autonomy and address long-standing grievances," he said. Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama of being behind March 14 riots in Lhasa and unrest that followed in other ethnic Tibetan areas, as part of a bid for Tibetan independence and to ruin the coming Olympic Games. The Dalai Lama has said he wants autonomy for Tibet, not a separate state, and has denied he orchestrated the unrest, which China says killed 19 people. Exiled Tibetans have given a far higher death toll. Hollywood actor Richard Gere, chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, dismissed China's account. He said the protests had no connection to the Olympics and were "not instigated by the Dalai Lama, no matter what the Chinese authorities have so offensively claimed." U.S. President George W. Bush should "throw some weight behind this issue and become publicly engaged," he told the Senate panel. Bush awarded the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal last October, but "today, when Tibetans are in their greatest moment of need, we have heard only a passing comment from the president," Gere said. The situation has resulted in demonstrations against and attacks on the Olympic torch as it travels around the world ahead of the summer games in Beijing. The Dalai Lama met Paula Dobriansky, the U.S. special envoy for Tibet, in Michigan on Monday and told her he appreciated U.S. concern with China's handling of the political unrest in Tibet, adding: "At this moment we need your help." |
| April 14, 2008 RICHARD GERE's upstate New York restaurant has landed him in a row with wealthy locals and town officials, who are demanding he tears down a fence they claim spoils their view. The actor recently opened the Bedford Post Inn, in the town of Bedford, which is 45 miles (72 kilometres) north of New York City, and where Martha Stewart, Ralph Lauren and Glenn Close all own homes. After neighbours complained about the 'eyesore' parking lot, Gere and business partner Russell Hernandez erected a 18 foot long (5.5 metres), five foot high (1.5 metres) cedar fence. Now local officials have stepped in to insist it is taken down, claiming it breaches local planning rules and looks worse than the parking lot. Hazel Nourse, the head of the town's zoning board, tells the New York Daily News, "It's a lovely building, but the fence sticks out like a sore thumb." Gere and Hernandez have agreed to keep the town happy, with the latter insisting, "If they say you have to have a four-foot fence, then that's what we'll do." |
| Richard Gere Proud Of Kissing Shilpa Shetty Posted on: April 11, 2008 11:54 PDT Actor Richard Gere is proud of the obscenity charges he faced in India after publicly kissing Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, claiming he wears his legal woes like a "badge of courage". The Pretty Woman star fell foul of Indian officials after he locked lips with Shetty and fixed her in a passionate embrace at an AIDS benefit in the country's capital, New Delhi, last year. However, India's Supreme Court decided to drop all charges against Gere last month, telling the star he is more than welcome to travel to the country again. Gere isn't angry at the country's strict public affection clauses, admitting he went a step too far - branding his amorous actions "insane", but brave nonetheless. He says: "It's a badge of somewhat insane courage. It is a very complex society." |
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| UPDATED April 25, 2008 |
| Gere urges China to grant Tibetan independence 4/10/2008 - 7:49:56 AM Hollywood actor and humanitarian Richard Gere joined protestors in California on Tuesday to voice his support for Tibetan independence. The star - who is chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet - attended a candlelight vigil in San Francisco late on Tuesday, where he gave a speech to the 2,000-strong crowd condemning the Chinese government's treatment of Tibetans. The protest came less than 24 hours before the Californian leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay. Speaking to the campaigners, Gere said: "This torch is going through China and the world co-opting the idea of harmony to push a political position. "The harmonious society (Chinese president) Hu Jintao talks about is a fraud. There can be no harmony without freedom of religion and culture." Gere also read out a message from the Dalai Lama, reminding the protestors to steer clear of any violence during the torch relay: "It is the legitimate right of every Tibetan to struggle for their freedoms and right. On the other hand, it would be futile and not helpful to anyone if we do something that would create hatred in the minds of the Chinese people." |
| Gere must mend fences in dispute Monday, April 14th 2008, 4:00 AM Richard Gere is finding out the hard way that there's just no pleasing his persnickety neighbors in Westchester. The "Chicago" actor recently opened a new country inn in the tony town of Bedford, home to domestic diva Martha Stewart, designer Ralph Lauren and actress Glenn Close. When neighbors complained that they didn't want to see the inn's parking lot, Gere had business partner Russell Hernandez put up a 180-foot-long, 5-foot-high cedar fence. Citing town code, Bedford officials have now told Gere the fence is a foot too tall and they want it torn down. "It's a lovely building, but the fence sticks out like a sore thumb," said Hazel Nourse, head of Bedford's zoning board. Apparently realizing it's often useless to fight City Hall, Gere is ready to make amends. "If they say you have to have a 4-foot fence, then that's what we'll do," Hernandez said. |
| Dalai Lama to get a prelude Talk on Buddhism and art set for Hill Sunday, April 14, 2008 BY GEOFF LARCOM The Ann Arbor News Actor Richard Gere and acclaimed composer Philip Glass will join local Tibetan master Gelek Rimpoche for a discussion of Buddhism and art during a program that has been added as a prelude to the upcoming two-day visit of the Dalai Lama to Ann Arbor. The program will be at Hill Auditorium on the University of Michigan campus on the evening of Friday, April 18. It was announced Wednesday by organizers planning the visit of the Dalai Lama on Saturday and Sunday, April 19-20. The Friday night event, titled "Buddhism and Art,'' will set the stage for four lectures the Dalai Lama will present that weekend at Crisler Arena. |
| Actor Richard Gere battling for 150-foot fence in NY suburb April 14, 2008 BEDFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Richard Gere, like Martha Stewart before him, is running into some zoning hurdles as he tries to put his imprint on the wealthy New York suburb of Bedford. Gere, the Pretty Woman and Chicago actor, and a partner have opened a cafe and bakery and have plans for a luxury inn and fine restaurant. But their new 180-foot-long cedar fence may not pass muster, Building Inspector Richard Megna said Monday. Bedford's rules call for a fence no higher than 4 feet along the street side of a property, he said, and Gere's is 5 feet tall. However, Gere's representatives have been trying to win a variance from the town zoning board by landscaping the fence to make it look better, Megna said. No decision is likely before May 7, he said. Bedford once turned down Stewart's plan for a barn on her property that would hold tractors, snowplows and a forklift because it was too close to the road. |
| These photos were taken in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Friday, April 18, 2008 Hill Auditorium. I apologize for the quality, it was very dark in the hall and the shutter speed made it difficult to catch a quick snapshot. I Hope you enjoy these anyway. The talk was enlightening as well as entertaining, and I believe everyone in attendance was very pleased. |
| Dalai Lama visit to Ann Arbor attracts actor Richard Gere and composer Philip Glass for prelude Buddhism and Art An evening with Tibetan master Gelek Rimpoche, composer Philip Glass and actor Richard Gere. Friday, April 18, 7:30 p.m. Actor Richard Gere and acclaimed composer Philip Glass will join local Tibetan master Gelek Rimpoche for a discussion of Buddhism and art during a program that has been added as a prelude to the upcoming two-day visit of the Dalai Lama to Ann Arbor. The program will be at Hill Auditorium on the University of Michigan campus on the evening of Friday, April 18. It was announced Wednesday by organizers planning the visit of the Dalai Lama on Saturday and Sunday, April 19-20. The Friday night event, titled "Buddhism and Art," will set the stage for four lectures the Dalai Lama will present that weekend at Crisler Arena. Rimpoche, founder of Jewel Heart, a Tibetan Buddhist learning center in Pittsfield Township, was the key connection in bringing the Dalai Lama to Ann Arbor. Gere and Glass are practitioners and supporters of Tibetan Buddhism. Through his private foundation, Gere has served as a longtime advocate of human rights and charitable causes. Glass, one of America's foremost composers, is a longtime friend of Rimpoche and is chairman of the Jewel Heart Board of Directors. Rimpoche, who extended the invitation to the Dalai Lama and also organized the April 18 presentation, said Wednesday that event will illustrate how the spiritual and artistic worlds work together. Rimpoche said he had reserved Hill Auditorium for a possible concert on April 18, but those plans fell through, leading to the Buddhism and art program with Glass and Gere. On April 19, the Dalai Lama will give two presentations on "Engaging Wisdom And Compassion," from 10 a.m.-noon and from 2-4 p.m. at Crisler Arena. On April 20, he will give another talk on the same theme, from 10 a.m.-noon. That talk will be followed by the "Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability," also at Crisler, from 2-4 p.m. The Wege lecture is sponsored by the University of Michigan, while the other talks are sponsored by Jewel Heart, the Garrison Institute, located in New York, and the Tibet Fund. Tickets to the Wege lecture, which is free, have already been claimed, while tickets to the other talks have been sold out. Philip GlassRimpoche said that some tickets for the Wege lecture have been selling on eBay and other Web sites for prices of up to $100. Rimpoche said he didn't mind that, particularly if those selling the tickets were financially pressed students. "At least some kids will make some money," he said. The Dalai Lama, who last visited Ann Arbor in 1994, is the leader of the Tibetan form of Buddhism and is the exiled leader of Tibet. World attention has been directed toward Tibet and the Dalai Lama in recent months as the conflict between Tibetans and the ruling Chinese government has turned violent. |
| Gere, Glass, McFerrin draw Buddhism, art parallels Saturday, April 19, 2008BY DAVE GERSHMAN The Ann Arbor News When Richard Gere was a young man, he went to visit Bali. But the actor soon discovered there was no word for art in the language spoken by the natives on the Indonesian island, beloved by tourists for its beauty. Everything the island's residents did - even their day-to-day tasks - had that extra touch of the shaman in it, Gere said. There was no sense of the dead gesture,'' he said. Gere spoke about the connection of art and living honestly, tying his point to the teachings of the Dalai Lama. He was seated on stage at Hill Auditorium on Friday evening with three other guests for a discussion on Buddhism and art. The event served as a prelude to Dalai Lama's talks in Ann Arbor this weekend. Later, a member of the audience stood during a question-and-answer session to ask Gere about the violence in Tibet and the disruptions during the touring of the Olympic torch in advance of the games being held in China. There is no place for violence, Gere said. "The movement is successful because it's been nonviolent, he said, adding, "It hurts all of us who love the Tibetans to see Tibetans engaged in violence.'' Tibetan Master Gelek Rimpoche, the local organizer of the Dalai Lama's visit, appeared next to Gere on stage. He said Buddhism teaches the avoidance of negativity because negativity leads to suffering. Also appearing were musicians Bobby McFerrin and Philip Glass. Glass drew parallels between musicians and Buddhist monks. Both begin their studies at an early age. Glass said music and spirituality, or religion, are intertwined. "The practice of music helps me with that other path,'' he said. McFerrin said that when he was ill as a child, his mother would bring him two things - medicine and music. He said art is not separate from his life; he tries to live artfully and honestly. "I do my best not to perform, but to sing honestly,'' he said |
| Gere Shifts Into "High Gear" Silver fox signs on for a pair of projects Silver-haired actor and noted Buddhist Richard Gere has just signed on to appear in two films. The former sex symbol and ex-husband of supermodel Cindy Crawford will be appearing in both an Amelia Earhart biopic and a cop caper. Amelia will feature the toothy, two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank in the title role of the aviation pioneer and the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. The slant of this biopic, however, will be about the aviator, who disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937, and her rocky relationship with her husband, publicist George Putnam. Shooting for the film begins in several locations, including Toronto, Nova Scotia and South Africa, later this month. Gere will star opposite Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke in Brooklyn's Finest, a drama about three Brooklyn cops (an undercover agent, a corrupt cop and a near retirement officer who has always abided by the rules) who are previously unconnected until a fateful day and event brings them together. Antoine Fuqua, who helmed the excellent cop film Training Day, will direct. You go, Gere! —The ARTISTdirect Staff 04.18.08 |
| Actor Richard Gere is placing the final touches on a new restaurant/inn in Bedford, NY called the Bedford Post Inn. The 56- year-old purchased the property — which features several 18th century buildings — last year with a business partner. Spread over 14 acres, Gere’s new venture will feature a cafe/bakery, formal restaurant, multipurpose rooms for private parties, community events and yoga classes, stables for horse riding, and 8 suites for overnight guests. Plans also include a geothermal HVAC system, recycled beams and materials, an on-site garden and a focus on locally produced food sourced from the area’s small farms. Gere can expect some celebrity clientèle from time to time as well — as Bedford is where Martha Stewart, Ralph Lauren and Glenn Close all own homes. Of course, Gere’s new project is not without its detractors. Most recently, neighbors complained about the ‘eyesore’ parking lot for the restaurant — prompting Gere to erect a an 18 foot long, five foot high cedar fence. Now, people claim the fence is spoiling their view — and the town zoning committee has declared that it must be torn down because it violates height limits. Unfazed, the partners are planning to comply, with Gere’s business partner Russell Hernandez saying, “If they say you have to have a four- foot fence, then that’s what we’ll do.” Look for the Inn to open this summer. The bakery/cafe is open now. |
| Pictures of Richard Gere arriving in Toronto , to start filming Amelia with Swank. April 17, 2008 |
| I watched this photo being taken on Saturday, April 19, 2008. Actor Richard Gere gets his picture taken backstage with one of the Buddhist monks before the Dalai Lama's second lecture Saturday. |
| Composer Philip Glass, Grammy winner Bobby McFerrin and actor Richard Gere, all practicing Buddhists, joined Gelek Rimpoche, founder of the Jewel Heart Center on Friday night in Ann Arbor to talk about how their religion affects their art. Gere, charming and humble on stage, said people are God's way of telling stories. "Each story is deeply interesting and all are delightful and equally valuable if we only take the time to listen," he said. The most important art is that of genuine kindness, forgiveness and inclusiveness, he said. And the Dalai Lama, he said, represents that "kindness is not a robe he puts on." What was bad for Tibet -- the fact that its religious leaders fled in the late 1950s -- is good for Americans, Gere said. "We have these great teachers from this wonderful culture," Gere said. McFerrin delighted the audience of several thousand by singing and thumping his hands on the table where the four men sat flanked by flowers. "I try not to perform, but just to sing," he said. "I want Rimpoche to dance," someone shouted from the crowd. "Believe me, you don't want to see that," Gere quipped. Rimpoche said the texts from which the Dalai Lama will teach the next few days are 2,600 years old. "They are absolutely relevant for life today, whether you're Buddhist or not," he said. By Tina Lam |
| Actor Richard Gere attends a Buddhism lecture given by the Dalai Lama, Saturday, April 19, 2008, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. . The Dalai Lama is on a two-day visit sponsored by the Tibetan organization Jewel Heart. |
| Watch the news video |
| Swank, 32, will play the title role in the the upcoming biopic about the famed lost female aviator Amelia Earhart. (She disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world.) Gere, 58, will play her husband, publisher George Putnam, who led a rocky relationship with the pioneering pilot. Mira Nair (Vanity Fair) will direct. |
| New pictures I found from the Tibetan Peace rally in San Fransisco. To see more go to this page on my site. |
| Humanitarian and actor Richard Gere, left, whispers to Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 23, 2008, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tibet. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari) |
| Humanitarian and actor Richard Gere testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 23, 2008, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tibet. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari) |
| Humanitarian and actor Richard Gere listens to testimony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 23, 2008, during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tibet. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari) |
| Humanitarian and actor Richard Gere, right, listens as Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 23, 2008, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tibet. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari) |
| Actor and pro-Tibet activist Richard Gere sits during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee on the situation in Tibet on Capitol Hill in Washington April 23, 2008. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES) |
| Actor and pro-Tibet activist Richard Gere (2nd L) speaks with Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) as he and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte (R) arrive to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee on the situation in Tibet on Capitol Hill in Washington April 23, 2008. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES) |
| Actor and pro-Tibet activist Richard Gere holds his pen during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee on the situation in Tibet on Capitol Hill in Washington April 23, 2008. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES) |
| Actor and pro-Tibet activist Richard Gere sits during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee on the situation in Tibet on Capitol Hill in Washington April 23, 2008. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES) |
| Actor and activist Richard Gere, Chairman of the Board for the International Campaign for Tibet, at a hearing on April 23 in Washington, DC. The Dalia Lama has written a letter to China's President Hu Jintao offering to send emissaries to help calm the situation in the Himalayan region (AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Brendan Hoffman) |
| Actor and pro-Tibet activist Richard Gere is greeted by Senator Barbara Boxer before testifying to the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee on the situation in Tibet on Capitol Hill in Washington April 23, 2008. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES) Photo Tools |
| Actor and pro-Tibet activist Richard Gere (R) watches Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte testify before the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee on the situation in Tibet on Capitol Hill in Washington April 23, 2008. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES) |
| Actor and pro-Tibet activist Richard Gere (L) watches Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte take his seat before testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee on the situation in Tibet on Capitol Hill in Washington April 23, 2008. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES) |
| Actor and Tibet activist Richard Gere at Actor and Tibet activist Richard Gere attends a Senate hearing on April 23, 2008, on the crisis in Tibet, at the US Congress in Washington, DC. US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte testified at the hearing on 'The Crisis in Tibet: Finding a Path to Peace.' The US warned China that failure to hold a dialogue now with Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama could harden the position of moderate pro-Tibetan groups. 'If Beijing does not engage with the Dalai Lama now, it will only serve to strengthen those who advocate extremist views,' Negroponte told a Senate hearing on China's crackdown in Tibet. |
| US Deputy Secretary of State John Negrop US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte (C), accompanied by actor Richard Gere (L), shakes hands with committee chairman US Senator Barbara Boxer during a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee April 23, 2008 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The hearing was focused on the crisis in Tibet. The United States warned China Wednesday that failure to hold a dialogue now with Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama could harden the position of moderate pro-Tibetan groups. AFP PHOTO/NICHOLAS KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images) |
| East Asian & Pacific Affairs Subcommittee Holds Hearing WASHINGTON - APRIL 23: Actor and activist Richard Gere (L), Chairman of the Board for the International Campaign for Tibet, greets Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte before they testifying on Capitol Hill on April 23, 2008 in Washington, DC. Gere and Negroponte testified on the recent political crackdown in Tibet, he also serves as Chairman of the Board for the International Campaign for Tibet. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images) |
| Negroponte Testifies At Senate Hearing On Crisis In Tibet WASHINGTON - APRIL 23: Lodi Gyari (R), special envoy of the Dalai Lama, testifies as actor Richard Gere (L) looks on during a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee April 23, 2008 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The hearing was focused on the crisis in Tibet. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) |
| Negroponte Testifies At Senate Hearing On Crisis In Tibet WASHINGTON - APRIL 23: Actor Richard Gere testifies during a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee April 23, 2008 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The hearing was focused on the crisis in Tibet. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) |
| East Asian & Pacific Affairs Subcommittee Holds Hearing WASHINGTON - APRIL 23: Actor and activist Richard Gere (R) shakes hands with Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte during a hearing to testify with the East Asian & Pacific Affairs Subcommittee on Capitol Hill April 23, 2008 in Washington, DC. Gere testified on the recent political crackdown in Tibet, he also serves as Chairman of the Board for the International Campaign for Tibet. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images) |
| Richard Gere testifying before Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 23, 2008 |
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