Rick's blog

***Cross-posted on PandaPassport.com

First it was Xianzai.com who was stealing our Dalian content and reprinting it verbatim on their website.

Now it's ChinaExpat.com. I was a little disappointed to see that, especially since I had written a pretty hefty Dalian piece for them a while back. Maybe they figured that if I did one piece pro-bono, that I wouldn't mind if they lifted all the stuff I'd written about Dalian? I don't know...  They do link to DalianDalian.com on one of their pages, but I really don't think that's gonna cut it on their listings pages.  Especially considering that when users search for a Dalian bar or restaurant on Google, ChinaExpat will be right up there in the rankings thanks to the content they lifted (word-for-word) from us.

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For those of you who may not have seen it yet, here's the 1st presidential debate in full.

Click here to view on MSNBC.com

 So after Kim's excellent post about his journey to Lushun, I thought I'd post a little about my recent venture out there as well.  Well technically, I only got to a park just outside of Lushun. We sorta headed north towards the airport, and hung a left jest before getting there.  Not sure how to describe the park or how to get there, but lets just say we drove for quite a while, and stopped when we saw a big dragon on the right side of the road.  

 At that point me and my friends drove down to the seaside where there were some people swimming and bbqin' and playin' mahjong. We cooked up some food as well, thanks to our Korean friend who knows how to barbeque in style!

 Check out this short clip:

This is a sample of what happens at the Sunday quiz night.

Takes place at Brooklyn Bar on BuLao Street, at 9pm.

 view video here:

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/zno2sIhCyYw

Chris posted about this last year, and I thought I'd resurrect the topic as it's quite useful. There are a bunch of places in Dalian where you can access wireless internet for free. Here's a few, and I hope that if you have some to contribute you might add them in the comments.

Hopefully we can assemble a nice useful list for everyone.
NOTE: I'm putting a [?] next to places that have had wifi in the past, but may or may not still have it. i.e. yet to be confirmed.

Brooklyn Bar and Restaurant
Didn't expect them to put wifi in a bar, but pleasantly surprised that they did. They're closed on Mondays, but are open 5:30pm to 2am Tuesday to Sunday (or when everybody leaves).

Amici Cafe
Xi'an Road, Friendship Square's Manhatten Building, Victory Plaza, Heishijiao Locations. Reliable internet access in a comfortable setting.

Starbucks Coffee
Renmin Road location, Olympic Square location, Software Park Location, Senmao Building location.

Tina Coffee Shop
Located in Peace Plaza shopping mall on 4F.

Echo Coffee
They have wifi, just ask for the password at the counter. They also have a hammock in their beer garden!

I55
This place goes on the list, though with their recent price hikes I'm reluctant to recommend them. On Gao'erji Road, just south of Renmin Square.

Sun Royalty Coffee
Right next door to i55, the staff assure me that their wifi signal is there own, and not I55s.  That's great for anyone who is heading to I55 just for the wireless connection.  You now have an alternative that doesn't charge you 55rmb for a sandwich. And they don't have Bible verse over the door either.

Leshoshu Bar 乐活书吧 
Haven't been here yet.  But I heard from a reliable source that they have wifi. Heping XiandaiCheng, Building C, 3F, #1, 中山路552号和平现代城C座3楼1号 phone: 82920321 84377566 see on dianping

SPR Coffee
Not sure how many of the locations have wireless. But looks promising.

West Coast Coffee
In the high tech zone, way out yonder...

The following places might have wifi:


Barbeque Chicken in Roosevelt Plaza
This place must be new or something,but it's not bad.  This just might replace Amici as my local place to hang out and sip juice and do internet stuff. On the fourth floor near Golden Hans and the movie theatre. Sept 13 update: wifi has been down there for a few days.

Dalian Airport
A friend of mine tells me they have it, but I have yet to confirm.

The Box [?]
Last few times I've gone, the wifi was hit-and-miss. Feel free to ask the staff if you can't get a signal.

UBC Cafe [?]
The city is littered with these big yellow buggers. Not a fan of UBC, but they stay open late, and they should have wifi. (Emphasis on "should") I've been in one before where it just wouldn't function. Click here to see some of their locations on google maps.

All's Well Cafe [?]  UPDATE: No wifi at All's Well Cafe anymore.

I headed up to Shenyang yesterday to see Holland vs Japan in Olympic Soccer.  Given the fact that in 2005 there were violent protests against Japan, it was not surprising that we (me and about 200 Japanese people on 3 buses) had a police escort all the way up there.

Here are some of the highlights. I have more audio updates over on PandaPassport.com as well, for anyone who'd like to check it out.

Cross Posted at LostLaowai.com.

For any of you guys who are struggling with accessing certain sites, this might be a good solution for you.  It's the best one that I've found so far.  Check out my video on how to install it.  It's really simple.

According to runsky.com, the Olympic Torch will not actually be in Dalian, but rather just outside of it.

The Torch run will kick off Saturday morning, July 19th at 8:30 am at Discovery Kingdom (发现王国) near Golden Pebble Beach. From there it will continue on a 10 km run until it reaches Zhonghua Wuguan (中华武$vz!L馆) at 10:30 am.

No word on whether there are any restrictions on foreigners attending.

 Read more here (Chinese)

 UPDATE: Here's a short video clip of the fun-filled proceedings.  

For any of you who have not had a chance to check out the Dalian Wolfhounds Quiz Night at Hopscotch, you can have a listen to last weeks quiz on mp3

For anyone who hasn't been there before, Hopscotch bar is just near the intersection of Shengli Road and Dongbei Road. Look for the red door. Now have a listen, and see what you're missin':


Or download mp3 here.

The questions and answers are below, in case you want to cheat  :)


ONE: HISTORY 24/8
1 In which war did the 'Charge of the Light Brigade' take place?
2 Which country, whose name translated means "land of the thunder dragon", is located amid the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains and is bordered to the south, east and west by India and to the north by China?


3 Who was the famous beautiful woman whose father disguised himself as a swan while pairing with her mother? Who was the father?

4 What is Dalian’s tallest building?

5 Which empire in history is also the name for a thick cushion used as a seat?

6 What mountain range is the natural habitat of the llama? ANDES
What was the surname of the Vice Presidents of both Lincoln and JFK?

7 What was the name of the secret police in East Germany?

8 Which of Henry VIII's wives was the mother of
a)    Queen Mary
B)    Elizabeth

9 The flag of which country which borders China is the only national flag that is not rectangular or square?   10 Which coffee shop in Dalian is named after a Shakespeare play?


ANSWERS
1 CRIMEAN
2 BHUTAN
3 HELEN OF TROY ZEUS
4 WORLD TRADE CENTRE (Shi Mao Da Sha)
5 OTTOMAN
6 JOHNSON
7 STASI
8 CATHERINE OF ARAGON ANN BOLEYN
9 NEPAL
10 ALL S WELL

TWO: MOVIES AND TV 40/4
1 Which comedy series features a manservant called Baldrick?

2 Which movie directed by Neil Jordan featured an attractive cabaret singer who was not all that she seemed? 3 Name the super heroes from their secret identities
a)    Doctor Banner
b)    Dick Grayson
c)    Diana Prince

4 Which actor won an Oscar for playing the role of an Irish American beat cop named Jim Malone and name the movie?

5 Which TV show revolves around the aftermath of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 from Sydney to Los Angeles

6 Supply the missing numbers
a) Fahrenheit ______
b) Attack of the _____ foot woman
c) Plan ____ from outer space

7 In which films would you find the following songs?
a)    The End (The Doors) 1979
B)    Everything I do I do it for you (Bryan Adams) 1991
C)    It must have been love (Roxette) 1990

8 Which TV station's name means "The Peninsula"? ?

9 What new movie starring Tony Leung (Liang Chao Wei) about the 3 Kingdoms opened in cinemas this week? Bonus Name director

10 Who supplies the following characters’ voices in Kung Fu Panda?
a) Panda
b) Panda’s master Shifu
c) Tigress

ANSWERS
1 BLACKADDER
2 CRYING GAME
3 a) INCREDIBLE HULK    b) ROBIN c) WONDER WOMAN
4 SEAN CONNERY UNTOUCHABLES
5 LOST
6 a) NINE ELEVEN   b) FIFTY    c) NINE
7 a) APOCALYPSE NOW  b) ROBIN HOOD c) PRETTY WOMAN
8 AL JAZEERA
9 RED CLIFF (Chi Bi) JOHN WOO Wu Yu Sen
10 JACK BLACK    DUSTIN HOFFMAN   ANGELINA JOLIE

THREE: MUSIC 24
1 In which Beatles song would you find the following people:  
a)    Father McKenzie
B)    Chairman Mao
c)    Mother Mary

2 Which American band released the critically acclaimed debut album Hot Fuss in 2004?

3 Who lived in Honah Lee?

4 Which British rock band deposits 25% of their profits in a bank account for their former lead singer Richie Edwards who is believed to have committed suicide but whose body was never found?

5 Which songs begin with the following words ?   I was born in a cross fire hurricane

6 In which song did Procal Harem sing about 16 vestal virgins?  

7 In "The Ghetto", in which US City is the ghetto?

8 Which famous rock star named his kids Dweezil and Moon Unit?


9 In song, that's amore when what happens?  

10 Which album with a city in the title did Rolling Stone Magazine call the best album of the 1980's?

ANSWERS
1a) ELEANOR RIGBY  b) REVOLUTION  c) LET IT BE
2 KILLERS
3 PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON
4 MANIC STREET PREACHERS
5 JUMPING JACK FLASH ROLLING STONES
6 A WHITER SHADE OF PALE
7 CHICAGO
8 FRANK ZAPPA
9 WHEN THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE LIKE A BIG PIZZA PIE 
10 LONDONS CALLING

SCIENCE AND BUSINESS 24/6
1 What is the characteristic vegetable ingredient of the soup
borsch?

2 Absolut Vodka is a product of which country?
3 Which petrol/oil retail brand's logo features a white star in a
red circle?

4 What is the name given to the study of earthquakes?

5 What drug traditionally used against malaria can be found in tonic water?

6 Chinese name of the car, name English…
Feng tian (12)
Ben tian  (32) 
Bie ke (24)    

7 What does the acronym OPEC stand for?

8 What unit of measurement equals 0.3937 of an inch?

9 What are the ingredients of a Bloody Mary?

10 Which is the nearest planet to the sun in our solar system?  

ANSWERS
1 BEETROOT
2 SWEDEN
3 TEXACO
4 SEISMOLOGY
5 QUININE
6 a) TOYOTA b) HONDA c) BUICK
7 ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES.
8 CM
9 VODKA AND TOMATO JUICE
10 MERCURY


TRIVIA SPORT AND WEIRD STUFF 24/2
1 Which number is represented by MDLV in Roman numerals?
2 What is the only dog that is allowed to give evidence in a US courtroom?

3 Thomas Wedder was an English circus freak in the 1700's. It was claimed he had the longest nose in history !!   + or - one inch, how long was it ?

4 In cricket, 111 is believed to be an unlucky score. What is it's name?

5 In the USA, what is the 2nd of February usually known as?

6 Which islands in the Atlantic Ocean were named after dogs?

7 What word describes completing a hole in golf three strokes below par?

8  Name the winners of the Mens and Womens singles at Wimbledon last week?
b) Which Chinese player reached the womens semi-finals?

9 What is the medical name for a nose job ?

10 Which one of the following was never a modern olympic discipline? 
   
a) running deer shooting
b) HORSESHOES (THROWING)
c) 200m obstacle swimming

ANSWERS
1 1555
2 BLOODHOUND
3 7.5 inches (19cm)
4 NELSON
5 GROUNDHOG DAY
6 CANARIES
7 ALBATROSS
8a) VENUS WILLIAMS b) RAFAEL NADAL c) ZHENG JIE
9 RHINOPLASTY
10 HORSESHOES (THROWING)


BOOKS AND WORDS 34/6
1 The following are main characters in which book or film. Bonus Name the author ?  
   
a.    The Joad family
b.    Atticus Finch
c.    Capt. Joseph Yossarian
d.   
2 Which author created the character Captain Nemo and Passepartout? 3 By what name is the fictional Lord of Greystoke better known?

4 A word for a costly victory (in terms of injury or death). Seven letters, third letter "R", fouth letter "R".

5 What is the Italian word for the Virgin Mary which when translated literally means 'my lady'?

6 In the first chapter of the Three Kingdoms which three characters swear the Oath of the Peach Tree Garden (Tao yuan san jie yi)?

7 According to the Bible, which one person was responsible for the death of a quarter of the world's population?

8 Where in the body are the trapezius muscles?

9 According to legend, King Nebuchadnezzar constructed one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Which one?

10 In Judaism, which festival celebrated 50 days after Passover, is in commemoration of the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses?
 
ANSWERS
1 a) GRAPES OF WRATH STEINBACK b) TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD LEE
\c) CATCH 22 HELLER
2 JULES VERNE
3 TARZAN 4 PYRRHIC
5 MADONNA
6 LIU BEI      ZHANG FEI     GUAN YU
7 CAIN
8 NECK / SHOULDERS
9 HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON
10 PENTECOST

So I'm hangin' out in my apartment today, and I see a strange sight from my window.  Luckily I managed to slip on a pair of pants just in time...