By Donnell Gavin BEIJING, China, 7:54 p.m. — As of last night, I concluded my stay in Beijing and took an overnight train to Shanghai. Overall, my reflections on the city are first and foremost that they have accomplished the desired goal of making foreigners see the city as “modern” (though to some degree, this »

By Austin Shiner BEIJING, China, 12:37 p.m. — My close range perspective has defined my Olympic experience. Although I’ve seen the athletes and venues in person and experienced five weeks of the host city’s culture, I know little about America’s Olympic pursuits. Realize my situation: I don’t understand any televised Olympic coverage and many high-priority Chinese »

By Austin Shiner BEIJING, China, 11:03 p.m. — I don’t care for McDonalds. Everything on the menu tastes the same: soft textured protein and carbs, occasionally with a mild crunch, mixed with a creamy sauce and a limp vegetable. But whereas the food is merely boring it’s the image that’s actively bothersome. The Golden Arches symbolize something foodies »

By Ge Yang I took this picture while we were above the North Pole. Hopefully the weather in Beijing is as good as this… The first thing which welcomed us in the airport was Fuwa, the mascot of Beijing Olympics. There are English signs everywhere — like this: … and people from all over the »

By Donnell Gavin BEIJING, China, 1:34 p.m. — Clubs in China are more carefully guarded than the Olympic events, and only slightly less guarded than the President (the obvious difference being the presence of guns to protect El Presidente, whereas the clubs just have belligerent teenagers with night sticks). When we arrived at China Doll »