TheElder's Xanga

moving on up

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 05:06:53 GMT

Somethings just never change, like xanga being forever and ever blocked in China. Ala the smoke and mirror Olympic promises from the BOCOG, I can't even post about the self-important and trivial details of my personal life.

Therefore I'm going places, both on the Superfreeway interweb netwww, and in the Real World (hint: journey to the west).
- Drew L

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 06:49:07 GMT

2007 NEUQ Halloween Dance Party

Pumpkins!
Costumes!!
Foreigners Dancing!!!
7:30pm @ Function Hall!!!!
Wednesday, October 31st!!!!!

Location: 东北大学，秦皇岛分校

Monday, October 29, 2007

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:41:25 GMT

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

Me and Jamie fighting off the horde! Let's go Primaries!!

Test a Test

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:20:17 GMT

It's true: I love High School Musical.
-Peace Out

Monday, April 30, 2007

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:17:02 GMT

China to expand "Great Internet Firewall"

Tue Mar 13, 1:48 PM ET

BEIJING (AFP) - China will tighten controls on Internet blogs and webcasts in a response to new technologies that have allowed cyber citizens to avoid government censorship efforts, state press reported Tuesday.

Following a call from President Hu Jintao in January to "purify" the Internet, the ruling Communist Party will introduce new regulations targeting blogs and webcasts, one of the nation's chief censors was cited as saying.

...

"Whether we can cope with the Internet is a matter that affects the development of socialist culture, the security of information and the stability of the state," Hu said in January as he called for the medium to be "purified."

Aside from the new regulations, the central government also announced this month it would not allow any new Internet cafes to be registered this year.

Experts say 30,000-40,000 Internet police are also employed to implement the country's extensive Internet censorship system, known as the "Great Firewall of China."

(Link to the Yahoo Article,No additional Wang Ba cafes... Both Articles are outdated and are broken links)
It is easy to find new articles though.

Xanga has been "purified", or inaccessible inside of China since the middle of March. You may have noticed that all our friends in China have had no new posts since about that time and is likely due to the previous publicly noted information. As such, all of your friends residing in China have been unable to post, comment, or even view any Xanga hosted websites. Including this one.

How did I post? Frankly speaking, in a word: h4xorz!! (aka VPN)

Monday, April 30, 2007

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 01:24:17 GMT

And so begins begins our odyssey
And we begin begin our odyssey
And so begins begins our odyssey

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:22:45 GMT

Mrs. L is in China!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And already about to leave. :(

Heck ya!

In class with students.

Checking out the Great Wall that ends/begins in the Sea.

And we are off to Beijing!! Thanks Mom.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 14:49:56 GMT

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:44-47).

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:31-33).

May you join with us as we pray continuously for China for the next 24 hours. Starting Now.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:11:01 GMT

Yesterday was an example of a good laowai day here in Qinhuangdao. Because no students have arrived yet on campus, we have had to try to entertain ourselves. Jon, Billman, and I started the day by assembling at the early hour of 10am and headed downtown by bus. Stop number one was the DVD/CD store where I checked out the lastest movies that I didn't know had already come out in America. Chatting with the nasal english speaking worker, seeing the cool CD girl, Five DVD's, and three CD's later, we exitted this shabby entertainment mecca. We then proceeded to the electronics market and came away with some laundry pipes and a pumping stereo system for Billman. Lunch was scrumptious jiao zi (Billman and I) and McD's (Jon DeLux).

On return to campus and a healthy hour of digesting, me and Jon visiting the infamous Hammer Bro. at the gym. Later that night Jon fulfilled his hearts-game debt by delving me up a delightful steak at the Happy Post, accompanied by Dawn, Da Yu, and Billman. We celebrated Spring Festival as natives do with loads of fireworks on the roof of our building. This was followed with the grand finale by a crashing performance as Billman pushed her 7th-story window onto the ground below inches within a Chinese neighbour and Jon's head. The night was finished with a heated and disastrously self-defeating but rather entertaining game of Hearts. I fell asleep after putting music on my computer and trying to comprehend Conrad's the Heart of Darkness. Oh how joyous it was.

News & Notes:
Schools starts on Monday, March 5th.
We will find out our classes probably on that day.
Hewie and Dad return in a few days.
Billman almost killed Jon with a window.
Children of Men is a great flick.
Hewie turns the age of Old on March 20th.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 04:35:36 GMT

Unfortunately, "Travel Across Southwestern China Winter 2007" is just about to a close. Throughout the journey I have been hanging out with Jon, Da Yu, and Liu Kai for exactly a month. We have stuck it out from our humble beginnings in Beijing, to delightful Hainan, through the mountains in Guanxi to our dissolution today as we split ways in Kunming, Yunnan.

Also along, Myron was a great companion and sneaky cards player for the first two weeks in January, Dad and Jamie have been much needed shot-in-the-arm additions for the last two weeks in Yunnan, Chad and Krystal are a super couple we have run into and around numerous times, and we finally tracked down Josh for a day and a half. Not to be left out, we collaborated for a few days each with our Lithuanian friend and later a Frenchie.

This picture spree looks at the first half of our journey as we travelled from Beijing to Guangzhou. With the help of the awesome Dong Da'er Ray, we crossed the city and I hung out at old digs from travelling a year ago. From Guangzhou, we travelled to the beautiful island of Hainan where we sunned in San ye, played cards, ate seafood, played cards, hung out a lot and climbed an enormous mountain. We then made our way to the province of Guanxi, enjoying the big city of Guilin and its creepy cave, and then checking out the laowai(foreigner) infused mountainous-skyscraper city of Yangshuo.

Part 1/2:

Spring Festival starts on February 18th, Year of the Pig. The Hotness himself, and Jon burning up.

Guangzhou is the adoption capital of China. Me and Jon adopting Myron into our lovefest.

Hanging out in front of a Muslim Mosque. One of my three separate sightings of guns in China.

Saying goodbye to Ray and her friend. How does a train get to an island? By Boat!

Hipness abounds on Hainan, like this tourist. And Jon as Huck Finn.

Myron and Papa Liu on the tandem bike, while me and Da Yu fashioning our tourist look.

A sunny day on this tropical island, on cloudy we days we honed our tetris(ala my top score).

Climbed up Mt. Wu Zhi Shan (Five Fingers), and proceeded to bring Sexy Back.

In Guilin we visited a Pagoda, and some well lit caves.

Yangshuo! Laowais abound, but who can stay away from scenery like this?

The group hanging out by the mountains. I love waterways in cool bridges.

Our sweet hotel in Yangshuo, old style city streets and scenery made this a backpackers paradise.

Thanks guys...