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BEIJING ? Rights activists have criticized a Hollywood studio for filming a buddy comedy in an eastern Chinese city where a blind, self-taught activist lawyer is being held under house arrest and reportedly beaten.
Relativity Media is shooting part of the comedy “21 and Over” in Linyi, a city in Shandong province where the activist Chen Guangcheng’s village is located. Authorities have turned Chen’s village of Dongshigu into a hostile, no-go zone and activists, foreign diplomats and reporters have been turned back, threatened and had stones thrown at them by men patrolling the village.
The news that Relativity Media had chosen Linyi, a city of 10 million, as a location for its film and was touting its close government connections comes at a time when activists have renewed their attention on Chen. A campaign to visit the lawyer to draw attention to his plight has caught on and intensified over recent weeks, though none have succeeded and many visitors have been met with violence.
On China’s popular Twitter-like microblog, Sina Weibo, some bloggers circulated email addresses for Relativity staff, urging users to write to the company in protest. A few called for a boycott of the film.
Relativity declined comment but said in a press release that filming in Linyi began last Wednesday. In the release, Linyi’s top Communist Party official Zhang Shajun is quoted as calling Relativity’s chief executive Ryan Kavanaugh a “good friend” while Relativity’s Co-President Tucker Tooley describes Linyi as an “amazing” place.
“I hope Relativity Media will learn more about the real Linyi, about Chen Guangcheng, and see that what is currently happening in Dongshigu village is what is really ‘amazing’,” said Nanjing-based activist He Peirong in an interview.
“Especially at this time, when every day there are people trying to visit Chen Guangcheng, people who have been robbed and beaten, I express deep regret to see such remarks whitewashing the city of Linyi,” she said.
In the past several weeks, dozens of activists and Chen’s supporters have risked being violently assaulted to attempt visits to his home in a bid to draw attention to his plight. The latest group was made up of 37 petitioners who traveled there by bus from Beijing on Sunday and fled after being attacked by about 50 unidentified thugs as they approached Chen’s village, said one petitioner, Peng Zhonglin, from Jiangxi province. Linyi police refused to comment when reached by phone.
Human Rights Watch senior Asia researcher Nicholas Bequelin said it was puzzling that Relativity appeared comfortable cozying up with the city’s political leadership.
“They seem to be eager to assume this role of being a prop in Linyi’s propaganda campaign to cast itself as a civilized municipality that promotes culture when the reality is that it is not only holding one of China’s most prominent human rights defenders, but going to extraordinary lengths to persecute him,” Bequelin said.
Relativity describes “21 and Over” as a comedy about two childhood friends who drag their friend out to celebrate his 21st birthday the night before a medical school interview in an evening that turns into “a wild epic misadventure of debauchery and mayhem.” It stars “Footloose” star Miles Teller and Justin Chon who was in “The Twilight Saga.”
Shooting in Linyi began on Wednesday and it was unclear how long they were scheduled to film there. Previous footage had been shot in Seattle, the company said. Relativity has produced or co-financed more than 200 movies including “Cowboys & Aliens,” “Bridesmaids,” and “Limitless.”
Blinded by a fever in infancy and self-taught as a lawyer, Chen became an inspiring figure among rights activists for his dogged pursuit of justice. He documented forced late-term abortions and sterilizations in his rural community, angering authorities. He was eventually imprisoned for four years.
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Relativity Media’s press release: http://bit.ly/vyQ9iH
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Follow Gillian Wong on Twitter at http://twitter.com/gillianwong
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111030/ap_on_re_as/as_china_blind_lawyer
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GENEVA (Reuters) ? Israeli security forces escorting settlers into West Bank villages appear to have used excessive force against Palestinians, the U.N. human rights office said on Tuesday.
The global body called on the Jewish state to protect Palestinians and investigate a surge of attacks by Israeli settlers against civilians in the West Bank, particularly in the village of Qusra, near Nablus.
The village had been “targeted by settlers” at least six times in six weeks, said Rupert Colville, spokesman for United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.
Israeli security forces, known as IDF, shot dead a Palestinian civilian in Qusra on September 23 during clashes between Palestinians and Jewish settlers in which six Palestinians were also injured, he told a news briefing.
“We do have particular concerns about the way the IDF operates in circumstances, particularly in those surrounding this particular village … They seem to be very quick to resort to excessive force when it comes to the Palestinians and not to restrain the settlers,” Colville said.
On the same day as the shooting, two Palestinian minors were detained for two hours and were allegedly beaten and humiliated by IDF soldiers before being released, he said.
On October 6, Palestinians from Qusra discovered at least 200 trees belonging to four families had been cut down, depriving them of their main source of income, he added.
“The accountability for settler violence against Palestinians is less than adequate let’s say and certainly not comparable to the reverse cases. When Palestinians attack settlers there’s always very, very strong reaction,” Colville said.
Israeli police on Sunday said they arrested a second suspect following an arson attack on a mosque blamed on a pro-settler militant group known by its slogan “price tag.
Israel named a special task force to investigate last week’s blaze in the Israeli Arab village of Tuba-Zangariya, amid fears it may exacerbate tensions with Palestinians.
The “Price-Taggers,” also blamed for other assaults on mosques, have said they want to avenge the killing of settlers, and protest against Israeli efforts to remove unauthorized settlement outposts built on land Palestinians want for a state.
The violence has coincided with rising tensions over a Palestinian application for statehood on West Bank land Israel captured in a 1967 war, filed at the U.N. Security Council last month, despite objections by Israel and the United States.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is due to issue a report in coming days on Israeli settlements, which addresses the lack of accountability for settler violence, said Colville.
“We call on the Government of Israel to fulfill its obligation under international human rights and international humanitarian law to protect Palestinian civilians and property in the occupied Palestinian territory,” he said.
“More needs to be done to effectively prevent attacks by settlers against Palestinian civilians and, when they do occur, they should be properly investigated by the Israeli authorities,” he said. Victims should be compensated, he added.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111011/wl_nm/us_israel_un_palestinians
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1. La Tania, France
Need to know: Tranquil, good value, purpose-built resort with nursery slopes and gentle sledging at village level. Connected to the 3 Valleys area, off-duty parents can get in some adequate ski time, but as it?s also beneath the tree line, on-duty parents could certainly take the kids on activities such as forest strolls.
Good for: People concerned about altitude. La Tania is one from the lowest resorts at only 1,350m high. And at under 600 miles from Calais, you are able to travel there from the Uk.
Added bonus: Geneva airport has a good nursery ? useful within the case of flight delays.
2. Flaine, France
Essential Info: Purpose-built, car-free and architect-designed in the sixties. All from the pistes lead back towards the same nursery slopes, and so excellent for a group of mixed ability as everyone can regroup in between laps. The nursery slopes are nicely kitted out, and the main slopes have something for everybody, from cruising ski slopes to challenging black runs, and very easily accessible off-piste in between the runs.
Good for: A quiet holiday. The conventional chalet-loving French are not large lovers of the architecture, so Flaine could be less noisy than you would count on in the village and on the pistes.
Bonus: It is 1 from the nearest resorts to Geneva, which makes for an easier-than-usual transfer.
3. Mayrhofen, Austria
Need to know: At 630m, Mayrhofen is low but has 3 striking gondolas that whisk you up towards the ski slopes on either side of the valley. Rookies will appreciate the comfortable slopes of the Ahorn mountain. The other mountain, Penken, is excellent for intermediates, with a variety of red runs, and a valley called Tappenalm, dotted with good cafes.
Great for: Getting to by road or rail from budget-airline-friendly Salzburg and Munich. As soon as in town, there?s a variety of decently priced accommodation, and grocery stores for self-caterers or picnic lovers. The cafes and coffee shops will keep a non-skiing parent or grandparent busy, too.
Added bonus: Aspiring freestyle skiers or snowboarders will love the park at the best of Tappenalm.
4. Avoriaz, France
Need to know: Purpose-built, car-free and built high up on the cliffs, Avoriaz is attached towards the gigantic Portes du Soleil region and boasts 650km of piste, half in France and half in Switzerland. Accommodation is primarily self-catered rentals in ski-in, ski-out blocks run by large tour operators.
Good for: A family wanting to try some more advanced skiing. Great black runs and difficult reds in Portes du Soleil, for the piste-lovers ? 3 snowparks in Avoriaz for freestylers. Those searching for off-piste will discover tree runs, powder bowls and cliff drops.
Added bonus: Excellent for newcomers, as well, with plenty of space for the first-timer. And also the resort is so compact, you are able to send the kids out to get the morning croissants.
5. Cervinia, Italy
Essential Info: This location is more than the Italian side of the Matterhorn (or Cervino, in Italian). The higher, sunny, snow-sure pistes are laid out over a valley head ? broad runs which all lead back down towards the village. The region links up with the pistes of Zermatt at the top, making a massive 350km of runs.
Great for: Delicious Italian food which will not break the bank at the mountain restaurants in appealing chalets (try the Chalet Etoile), as well as lots of good pizza joints, in addition to some goodies like the Baita Cretaz restaurant ? only accessible by skidoo as soon as the lifts are closed.
Added bonus: Runs all remain broad, gentle and steady right to the bottom. And also the village is compact sufficient to let older children go exploring the stores on their own.
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Source: http://www.articleconsortium.info/the-ideal-5-most-beneficial-snowboarding-places-in-europe/
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