Briggs & Stratton’s Yard Doctor, Trey Rogers is still in Beijing and he’s started the monumental task of moving 5,500 modules of grass. See how it’s going.
Day 2: August 10, 2008
When I got up this morning I was greeted by fog and 77 degrees F. It is still hot and humid, and it’s as close to raining without rain as you can get. We went to the construction site first thing this morning. This is the site where the modular field was originally planted and cared for as it waited to be placed in the stadium. Part of our job as consultants was to provide specifications on how to prepare a turf module and grass establishment site. We gave them ideas on asphalt surface and its slope as well as accessibility and irrigation standards. I could see the move had started, as the first row of grass modules had been removed. I was happy to see the grass looks very good. My graduate student, Alec Kowalewski, and Mr. Gao, the Chinese appointed field manager, have done a very good job, given the extremely challenging weather.
Next, we headed for the Bird’s Nest. Every other time I have been here this stadium and the surrounding area has been a dust bowl due to construction. It is good to see it finished and looking very nice. As we move close to the entrance, I can see the Chinese Army trucks lined up to enter the stadium, each with 10 turf modules. At 10 modules per truck, and 5,500 modules, that is 550 trips!
Inside the magnificent stadium the place is filled with workers moving in modules. The process is going smoothly. The grass looks good. Everyone is taking great care to place the modules correctly.
One highlight of the day was the fact that NBC Sports was on hand to do a story on the field. They took lots of pictures and interviewed a couple of us about the story behind these very important pieces of grass. I wonder if they’ll show it on air later!
The modules will continue to be placed into the stadium from August 10 through 12, and the move has to be finished by the 12th. So far, everything is on schedule, but I’ll let you know if that’s still the case tomorrow.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Day 2: August 10, 2008
When I got up this morning I was greeted by fog and 77 degrees F. It is still hot and humid, and it’s as close to raining without rain as you can get. We went to the construction site first thing this morning. This is the site where the modular field was originally planted and cared for as it waited to be placed in the stadium. Part of our job as consultants was to provide specifications on how to prepare a turf module and grass establishment site. We gave them ideas on asphalt surface and its slope as well as accessibility and irrigation standards. I could see the move had started, as the first row of grass modules had been removed. I was happy to see the grass looks very good. My graduate student, Alec Kowalewski, and Mr. Gao, the Chinese appointed field manager, have done a very good job, given the extremely challenging weather.
Next, we headed for the Bird’s Nest. Every other time I have been here this stadium and the surrounding area has been a dust bowl due to construction. It is good to see it finished and looking very nice. As we move close to the entrance, I can see the Chinese Army trucks lined up to enter the stadium, each with 10 turf modules. At 10 modules per truck, and 5,500 modules, that is 550 trips!
Inside the magnificent stadium the place is filled with workers moving in modules. The process is going smoothly. The grass looks good. Everyone is taking great care to place the modules correctly.
One highlight of the day was the fact that NBC Sports was on hand to do a story on the field. They took lots of pictures and interviewed a couple of us about the story behind these very important pieces of grass. I wonder if they’ll show it on air later!
The modules will continue to be placed into the stadium from August 10 through 12, and the move has to be finished by the 12th. So far, everything is on schedule, but I’ll let you know if that’s still the case tomorrow.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
I am and I’m eagerly reading Briggs & Stratton’s Yard Doctor, Trey Rogers’ updates from Beijing. From Trey’s description, and knowing how poorly my grass does in August, I’m a little worried about the condition of the grass he’s worked so hard to grow for the Olympic Games.
Day 1: August 9, 2008
Greetings from China, home of the 2008 Summer Olympics. It’s close to midnight now, as our plane only arrived at 10 pm local time. (There is a 12 hour time difference from EDT, 12 hour earlier.) The trip took a total of 23 hours and three plane changes, not something I would recommend, but the hotel is nice.
Since this is actually my fifth trip to Beijing, the beauty of the airport and highways did not wow me as it has before, but I was impressed with the incredible heat and humidity (it was 90 degrees when the plane landed). The fog/smog everyone has heard so much about was incredibly solid and visible. This is not great weather for either athletes or grass. The prolonged heat and humidity will really do damage to cool season grasses. Our turf here is Kentucky bluegrass, and while it has been well tended with proper fertilizer and plant protectants, even these can only go so far in keeping a plant healthy. Heat and humidity are brutal for all. It will be interesting to see how the lawns and parks look after this summer.
Tomorrow we get up early and go to the Bird’s Nest stadium, home of the opening ceremonies and our modular turf project. I’ve been told that the “move in” of the turf modules will take place over three days, August 10 through 12. I am not sure when the first field events are set for this turf, but I will let you know very soon. I do know that the Gold Medal Soccer game is set for August 24.
I’ll let you know how the grass looks tomorrow.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Day 1: August 9, 2008
Greetings from China, home of the 2008 Summer Olympics. It’s close to midnight now, as our plane only arrived at 10 pm local time. (There is a 12 hour time difference from EDT, 12 hour earlier.) The trip took a total of 23 hours and three plane changes, not something I would recommend, but the hotel is nice.
Since this is actually my fifth trip to Beijing, the beauty of the airport and highways did not wow me as it has before, but I was impressed with the incredible heat and humidity (it was 90 degrees when the plane landed). The fog/smog everyone has heard so much about was incredibly solid and visible. This is not great weather for either athletes or grass. The prolonged heat and humidity will really do damage to cool season grasses. Our turf here is Kentucky bluegrass, and while it has been well tended with proper fertilizer and plant protectants, even these can only go so far in keeping a plant healthy. Heat and humidity are brutal for all. It will be interesting to see how the lawns and parks look after this summer.
Tomorrow we get up early and go to the Bird’s Nest stadium, home of the opening ceremonies and our modular turf project. I’ve been told that the “move in” of the turf modules will take place over three days, August 10 through 12. I am not sure when the first field events are set for this turf, but I will let you know very soon. I do know that the Gold Medal Soccer game is set for August 24.
I’ll let you know how the grass looks tomorrow.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Need a break? Take this fun quiz from Coldwell Banker and find out what kind of house best suits your style. I took it and it said I was an “Urbanist, who says no thanks to minivans, puppies and 2.5 children, and prefers culture, chic decor and lofty views”. That’s pretty ironic considering I’ve lived in the city and the suburbs and as far as I’m concerned the ‘burbs are way better. And, while it’s true I have no interest in a minivan, puppies and kids are definitely part of my plan.
See what the quiz says about you.
See what the quiz says about you.
You think growing a healthy lawn is tough? Imagine growing Olympic playing fields in China! Briggs & Stratton’s Yard Doctor, Trey Rogers, PhD, a leading authority on lawns and our recent lawn forum expert, was instrumental in making the grass grow in Beijing for the upcoming Games. Trey will be sharing his impressions and experiences while attending the Olympics. Read on to see how Trey overcame the challenges of growing grass in China and learn about his experiences in Beijing! And don’t forget to watch the Games to see how lush and green Trey’s grass actually grew.
Grow for the Gold
It’s show time! In just a few more days, I’ll be heading to the Olympic Games. I’m anxious to see the grass we created for the playing fields. I’ll get there the night of August 9 (there’s a 12-hour time difference), so I won’t see the grass until the morning of August 10. It’s all located at a remote site 5 miles from the National Stadium (AKA “the Bird's Nest”) and we’re going to have to pick it up, move it and actually create the fields on my first day there.
Growing grass in Beijing is a unique challenge. Take all the weather extremes from across the U.S. and you’ve got an idea of what the weather is like in Beijing. You have the dry, cold open weather of North Dakota for a few months, then the heat and humidity of Cincinnati for a few months, followed by the rain and heat of Miami in summer. Not exactly lawn heaven. In fact, due to the hot, hot weather, the Chinese lawns you do see are often riddled with disease. All that said, the playing fields we planted for the Olympics last September should look great. They've really been well cared for. They've been fertilized every 7 to 10 days and checked for watering on a daily basis, so I’m looking forward to seeing evenly green, healthy turf. I’ll keep you posted on how the grass is growing–and on my impressions of Beijing and the Games while I’m there.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Check back next week to read more about Trey at the Olympics.
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
Grow for the Gold
It’s show time! In just a few more days, I’ll be heading to the Olympic Games. I’m anxious to see the grass we created for the playing fields. I’ll get there the night of August 9 (there’s a 12-hour time difference), so I won’t see the grass until the morning of August 10. It’s all located at a remote site 5 miles from the National Stadium (AKA “the Bird's Nest”) and we’re going to have to pick it up, move it and actually create the fields on my first day there.
Growing grass in Beijing is a unique challenge. Take all the weather extremes from across the U.S. and you’ve got an idea of what the weather is like in Beijing. You have the dry, cold open weather of North Dakota for a few months, then the heat and humidity of Cincinnati for a few months, followed by the rain and heat of Miami in summer. Not exactly lawn heaven. In fact, due to the hot, hot weather, the Chinese lawns you do see are often riddled with disease. All that said, the playing fields we planted for the Olympics last September should look great. They've really been well cared for. They've been fertilized every 7 to 10 days and checked for watering on a daily basis, so I’m looking forward to seeing evenly green, healthy turf. I’ll keep you posted on how the grass is growing–and on my impressions of Beijing and the Games while I’m there.
Trey Rogers, the Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor
Check back next week to read more about Trey at the Olympics.
Read more of Trey's blog posts from China.
We have an exciting new guest blogger joining us on House Calls. Tracy Davidson, consumer reporter for WCAU in Philadelphia, is going to be blogging weekly about your money and smart ways to both save and spend it. If you live in the Philadelphia area you may have seen Tracy on All That & More with Tracy Davidson. This week: Tracy tells you how to find out if your bank accounts are safe.
Are Your Bank Accounts Safe?
by Tracy Davidson
The video of people lined up to get their money out of Indymac made me think of the "run on the bank" in the movie It's a Wonderful Life. Unfortunately it's real life for more and more customers. Estimates are that this "crisis" could take down many more banks. So what should you do? Don't panic! And don't think that stuffing your mattress is the answer!
Is your bank FDIC insured?
First: Make sure your financial institution is FDIC insured. How do you do that? Banks and financial institutions post FDIC signs at their locations. Or you can call 877-275-3342 or check online to see if your bank is FDIC insured.
What exactly does it mean if a bank is FDIC insured? The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is an independent agency of the federal government. It was created in 1933 to address the problem of failed banks. The key fact in this history lesson: Since January 1934 no depositor has lost a single cent of insured funds as a result of a bank failure.
How much are you "insured" for? Basically you're insured up to $100,000 per depositor, per insured bank, which includes principal and accrued interest. So ask yourself which types of accounts you have with your bank—checking, savings, trust CDs? You'd be covered for up to $100,000 for all of those accounts, combined. Now, could you be insured for more? Yes, for instance if you have a checking account in your name and another checking or savings account that is in both your and your husband's names. Different ownership categories are separately insured. IRAs are insured separately for up to $250,000, but other investment products like stocks, mutual funds, bonds or annuities are not covered, even if purchased at an insured institution.
Check up on your bank
Still curious about whether your bank will be the next one in the headlines? The FDIC has a list of 90 banks that could be in danger of failing but, unfortunately, that list is not available to the public. You can, however, check Bankrate.com. It has a rating system where you can plug in your bank's name and check out its relative financial strength.
Bottom line: If your bank is insured, you can rest easy. The FDIC guarantee is a direct obligation of the United States Government. So as long as the government is in business, your FDIC-insured money is safe.
Added note: Have your money in a credit union? They are insured by the National Credit Union Administration.
Check out All That & More with Tracy Davidson.
Read more of Tracy's blog posts.
Are Your Bank Accounts Safe?
by Tracy Davidson
The video of people lined up to get their money out of Indymac made me think of the "run on the bank" in the movie It's a Wonderful Life. Unfortunately it's real life for more and more customers. Estimates are that this "crisis" could take down many more banks. So what should you do? Don't panic! And don't think that stuffing your mattress is the answer!
Is your bank FDIC insured?
First: Make sure your financial institution is FDIC insured. How do you do that? Banks and financial institutions post FDIC signs at their locations. Or you can call 877-275-3342 or check online to see if your bank is FDIC insured.
What exactly does it mean if a bank is FDIC insured? The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is an independent agency of the federal government. It was created in 1933 to address the problem of failed banks. The key fact in this history lesson: Since January 1934 no depositor has lost a single cent of insured funds as a result of a bank failure.
How much are you "insured" for? Basically you're insured up to $100,000 per depositor, per insured bank, which includes principal and accrued interest. So ask yourself which types of accounts you have with your bank—checking, savings, trust CDs? You'd be covered for up to $100,000 for all of those accounts, combined. Now, could you be insured for more? Yes, for instance if you have a checking account in your name and another checking or savings account that is in both your and your husband's names. Different ownership categories are separately insured. IRAs are insured separately for up to $250,000, but other investment products like stocks, mutual funds, bonds or annuities are not covered, even if purchased at an insured institution.
Check up on your bank
Still curious about whether your bank will be the next one in the headlines? The FDIC has a list of 90 banks that could be in danger of failing but, unfortunately, that list is not available to the public. You can, however, check Bankrate.com. It has a rating system where you can plug in your bank's name and check out its relative financial strength.
Bottom line: If your bank is insured, you can rest easy. The FDIC guarantee is a direct obligation of the United States Government. So as long as the government is in business, your FDIC-insured money is safe.
Added note: Have your money in a credit union? They are insured by the National Credit Union Administration.
Check out All That & More with Tracy Davidson.
Read more of Tracy's blog posts.
