Michael Jackson Used Bubbles as a Window Cleaner + Other News

Bubbles was Jackson's favourite pet chimpanzee whilst he lived at the Neverland ranch. In out-takes from Martin Bashir's documentary, Bubbles is said to have used Jackson's private toilet and completed basic household duties such as dusting and window cleaning aided by other chimpanzees. It was rumoured that Bubbles was banned from the Neverland premises having punched Jackson in the face. A statue of Bubbles and Jackson can be found at the Alstrup Fearney Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo Norway, having been purchased for $5.6 million by an ananymous buyer in New York in 1991.

E-fit Appeal: Leeds Bogus Window Cleaner Burglar: Police from North East Leeds have this morning released an e-fit of a man they would like to speak to in connection with a distraction burglary on a lone female in the Seacroft area of Leeds. The incident occurred around 11am on Monkswood Avenue last Sunday (8 March) when the suspect knocked on the victim's door and stated that he was starting a local window cleaning business. The 48-year-old victim said she was not interested and advised the suspect to try next door. A short time later he returned and asked if he could borrow a piece of paper and a pen. As the victim went to find a paper and pen, the suspect entered the property and was sat on a sofa in the lounge when the victim returned. At this point the suspect asked for a glass of water and as the victim was returning from the kitchen she saw him going through her purse and handbag. The suspect then left the property on foot. He is described as a white male, 5ft 8 inches tall, 20-25 years of age, slim build with short jet black hair, a clean shaven pointy face and deep voice. He was wearing a dark coloured fleece top with black jeans and had black gloves on throughout the incident. Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact PC Greenwood at Killingbeck CID via: 0845 60 60 606. Click picture to enlarge.

Harley Lawhorn, 19, cleans the windows at the Bank of the West building downtown to a mirror shine Wednesday. It was the third and last day it takes to clean all of the windows from top to bottom at the five-story building, said Peter Cruz, owner of Clear View professional window cleaners.

Fair organizers looking for a few good workers: It's hard to imagine some companies are hiring in these tough economic times, but they are. Guelph-based Synnex Canada Ltd., a computer distributor with 600 staff in the Royal City -- and 7,000 employees worldwide -- is looking for dozens of people locally. "We're not growing, but we are not shrinking," chief executive Jim Estill said yesterday, adding there's always turnover to fill. "You want to keep your eyes open for good people." Synnex will be among 14 area employers looking for hundreds of people at an afternoon job fair March 25 at Guelph's Ramada Hotel and Conference Centre. The event runs from 3 to 6:30 p.m. The job fair is being organized by the Waterloo Wellington Training and Adjustment Board, a provincially funded non-profit workforce development corporation. Despite the current recession and regional unemployment at about seven per cent, employers like Synnex are optimistic the area will recover. Recruiters at the March 25 job fair will include Spring Masters Canada, which offers summer employment for hundreds of people in lawn care, driveway sealing and window washing.

Lost Images of New York in the ’20s: The Lower East Side photographs documented street life among the Eastern European Jewish immigrants who had made the neighborhood one of the most densely populated urban quarters anywhere in the world. Several of the images are of vendors, selling pretzels, herring, cloth, shoes, fruit and other goods. Other images show Union Square, the docks and a window-washer.

SEIU 32BJ Worker Testifies before Congress As Employee Free Choice Act is introduced: All day Tuesday, workers from more than 30 states and a number of unions were on the Hill to lobby their own Members of Congress on the importance of the Employee Free Choice Act.. The workers related their personal stories of being fired or harassed when they attempted to form a union, and several workers participated in a hearing from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee on the importance of unions in restoring the middle class. Among the witnesses called to testify before Congress was SEIU 32BJ member Kelly Badillo, who told the committee the devastating experience of what it was like to be working in the north tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 when the planes hit. Badillo related how his union helped him and his family get back on their feet in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 tragedy, when while living with the terror of the attack, he also had to worry where his next paycheck was going to come from:"Two thousand, seven hundred and fifty people lost their lives, including forty-seven SEIU members. Many thousands more lost their jobs. More than twelve hundred 32BJ members - cleaners, security officers, building maintenance, window washers and elevator operators like me were suddenly trying to live on unemployment.

Window cleaner is turning greener: A young businessman who cleared 7,000 pieces of chewing gum from a Corby street has now launched an environmentally friendly window cleaning operation. Jordan King, 25, (pictured) is filtering rainwater collected in barrels from a house downpipe, and then using it to clean windows without the need for detergent. The innovative system has attracted the attention of a number of organisations. The Exmouth Avenue resident, set up Oracle Ideas Ltd with the help of the Prince's Trust and Corby Business Link. One of the company's biggest achievements so far is blasting 7,000 pieces of chewing gum away in a midnight clean-up in Corporation Street, as reported in the Evening Telegraph last year. Mr King said: "I'm really proud of Corby. The main drive is to grow the company. But there's a lot happening in Corby we want to get involved in. "The council has got back to me and is interested in us. We're trying to get the contract for the new Corby Cube." Mr King used to employ three people but had to let them go because of the recession and now does all the work on his own. Zero TDS cleaning removes the need for washing up liquid and windows dry without spots or smears. The company's reach and wash system allows high windows to be cleaned from ground level, which removes the need for ladders and helps companies comply with health and safety regulations. Mr King already cleans plate glass at Primark in Willow Place and at nearby Costa Coffee, but he hopes to roll out the green programme to domestic customers in the future. He said: "The cleaning method is not only environmentally efficient but also very cost effective." Mr King is offering to give a free trial for homeowners.