Window Cleaning News & Photos

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Photo of the day - Reunion Tower window washer - Here's a beauty from staff photographer Sonya N. Hebert, of Hugo Suarez of Cliffhanger Building Maintenance hanging off of Reunion Tower in Dallas. She said the photo gods were shining on her today, providing a blue sky, a red shirt, and angled light. She did the rest! The photo came about when I stepped off the DART train this morning and saw a window washer nearing the bottom of one of the legs of the tower. One phone call and 10 minutes later, Sonya was on the scene, and nailed the photo when she spotted another employee of the same company at the top of another column. In newsroom parlance, this is the dreaded "weather feature" combined with the "what an editor saw on the way to work" feature.

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Previous blog on "Groupon" type deals - "Cheapening Window Cleaning One Deal At A Time."

Beilue: Man mourns toll of cancer on body - Michael Davis, who has a window-cleaning business, doesn’t seem to have anything in common with seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong or gold-medal figure skater Scott Hamilton — except for that testicular cancer thing. They had it. Davis has just been through it. Because of their celebrity network, it’s doubtful Armstrong and Hamilton lacked for emotional support in the weeks and months after. Davis just wished he had the same personal understanding. “It’s been tough,” said Davis, 40. “A person can’t fully understand losing a body part until they actually lose it. To a certain degree, it’s made me more aware of what a woman goes through when losing a breast or a veteran who loses a body part.”

Davis, diagnosed with testicular cancer in March, had an orchiectomy — surgery to remove a testicle — in April in Lubbock. Before surgery, he had two rounds of chemotherapy. Since surgery, he takes a testosterone shot every two weeks. Testicular cancer, serious as it might be, has no doubt spawned a few jokes at comedy clubs for the man-card crowd. Davis has heard them too, with “Hey, grow a pair!” leading the list. “Actually I kind of joke about it some as a coping mechanism,” Davis said. “My aunt and I have a neat relationship. One night I called her and said, ‘I really do miss my nut.’ She said, ‘Well, you shouldn’t be so careless.’” Though testicular cancer strikes about one male an hour and kills one a day, it’s still pretty rare. Striking about 8,300 males a year, most from the ages of 20 to 39, the survival rate is as high as 85 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Glass artist fell to death in cathedral: A master stained-glass artist who died following a fall at Durham Cathedral had been putting the final touches to a new window, an inquest was told yesterday. Michael Lassen, 61, was helping put in the last panel of the 170ft stained-glass window when he fell 20ft from a ladder and suffered a fractured skull during a work break. A jury sitting at Newcastle ruled he died accidentally. Witnesses described Mr Lassen’s hands slipping off the ladder and him falling backward onto the stone flag floor in the cathedral’s South Quire. The reason for his fall remains unclear. Glass artist Tom Denny, who was commissioned to create the new Transfiguration window, told the hearing he had taken on Mr Lassen – one of the most experienced craftsmen in his field – to lead and install the window when a previous assistant became ill.

On the day of the tragedy on September 3, last year, Mr Lassen was working on scaffolding inside the cathedral, while Mr Denny worked on the outside of the building. Mr Denny said, while “wiggling around” the last rectangular panel, he saw the chairman of the Friends, Bill Apedaile, and others inside and decided to show them the window. He took the friends to the second level of the scaffolding, leaving Mr Lassen on the lowest level, when he heard a “clattering” noise and a woman scream. Cathedral volunteer steward Kathleen Burdon said: “I saw his (Mr Lassen’s) hands on the ladder and in an instant they just seemed to leave the ladder. “It all looked as if it happened in slow motion. His hands just seemed to slip off it. “I closed my eyes because I knew it was inevitable he would fall.”

Steward Maria Atkinson, who saw him fall backward, said he had made no attempt to grab out. The Gloucestershire artist was taken to University Hospital of North Durham, before being transferred to Newcastle General Hospital. He died on September 8 of bronchial pneumonia brought on by his head injury. Health and Safety Executive specialist inspector Stewart Eddie said he was satisfied with the ladder and scaffolding and no prosecutions were being considered.

NYPD, SEIU honor union members who died on 9/11 - Police Commissioner Ray Kelly joined SEIU 32BJ President Mike Fishman and others from the 32BJ family at a Security Recognition Ceremony on Saturday to honor the men and women of 32BJ who lost their lives on 9/11. Kelly also helped the union give out merit awards to current private security officers who have excelled in the line of duty. “They were dedicated individuals who worked as security officers, some as window washers, cleaners, elevator operators, maintenance workers,” Kelly said. “The police department considers you very much our partners in this effort. Because of the nature of your work you are in a better position than most to spot the indicators of terrorism. We depend on you. We depend on you to stay engaged, to act as our eyes and ears.”

Life-saving window washers: Enormous thanks to the window washers who potentially saved lives by reporting the loose 600 kilogram block on the building downtown. Their daily task puts them in a much better position to evaluate the integrity of buildings. They are actually on them, not in an office filing a report. Please give them a salary equal to a building inspector’s salary. They deserve it!

3M window film generates electricity, blocks light: 3M showed new window film that both cuts infrared light transmission through the glass and collects solar power from both indoor and outdoor lightsources. A square meter of the film can generate enough electricity to charge an iPhone under peak sunlight. This film has two strong energy conservation traits. The first is that it generates electricity. The second is that it blocks heat. The film generates electricity, so it can be used to power things like LED lights. As for blocking heat, this can help conserve energy, because if heat is blocked then the air conditioning of a building can be lowered, saving electricity. Those are the two main advantages for energy conservation.

The film blocks or absorbs about 80 percent of visible light and 90 percent of infrared light. In this demonstration at Ceatec in Japan the company showed the temperatures on each side of the glass, with the inside thermometer about ten degrees lower than the outer one. The film comes in flexible sheets and can be glued onto windows. There’s a greenish tint to the film, but 3M plans to make it clear by the time it plans to commercialize it sometime in 2012. The film generates only about a fifth of the electricity that a traditional silicon solar panel does and will cost about half as much, though pricing hasn’t been announced.

Ward Blanchard, 89, lives north of Grand Rapids and is the oldest man to motor 1,000 miles in 24 hours.

1,000 miles on motorcycle in a day? No problem for 89-year-old Michigan man: Just my opinion, but, frankly, I think it’s interesting all by itself that this summer, Ward Blanchard rode his motorcycle more than 1,000 miles without sleep, grinding out the distance in less than 24 hours. Something else makes it altogether stunning: Next July, Ward Blanchard turns 90. Not that you could tell. He’s got the facial features of a guy in his 60s. And he could be a hand model for dish detergent.

Not that he’s got the time or inclination. He’s too busy busting his butt on a three-wheeled cycle known as a Can-Am Roadster, setting records for long-distance motorcycling while some of his cronies are probably having trouble — let’s face it — gathering up enough steam for a spirited game of cribbage. “Don’t let your age tell you what you can do,” says Ward, who worked full-time until he was 87, mostly as a factory laborer and window washer. “Just forget about your age and do it.”

Window cleaner Steve Waplington is concerned about the effect that the closure of Lea Road will have on town business.

‘Road closure will be catastrophic’: Concerned local businesses have voiced their frustration at the closure of a major road into Gainsborough in fear that it may harm trade during a busy period. The A156 Gainsborough Road at Lea will be closed for up to two weeks for resurfacing work between Monday 24th October and Friday 4th November. It is hoped the ‘essential maintenance’ work will be completed during the half-term, while diversions will be in place along the A1500 Tillbridge Lane, A15 and A631, However, the road is one of the major routes into town from Lincoln and nearby villages such as Marton, Torksey, Fenton, Newton on Trent, Knaith Park and Saxilby - which has concerned local businesses.

Steve Waplington is a window cleaner who believes that the impact could be ‘devastating’. “I’ve contacted the council and asked them to reconsider this full road closure,” he said. “I don’t see why they can’t do a part closure with a contra-flow system, like they did when they were carrying out similar work near Blyton.” “This will have a detrimental effect on mine and other businesses in town.” “Not only is it approaching the Christmas shopping period for shops in Gainsborough, but if we were to have another cold snap like last year when it re-opens then the impact will be catastrophic.” Steve continued: “I’m on my soapbox because I think it’s wrong - doing this at such a busy time of year will be terrible.” “I don’t think that they have really thought this through.”

To some people, Paul Bastock may be your window cleaner. He may be the nice man who used to care for your dear old nan. He might even be the bloke who coached your son at one of his goalkeeper academies. But to those people who spend their Saturday’s worshiping idols in amber and black (maybe that should be green), the man known as Bazza is something much more. At Histon this week, the club’s all-time appearance record holder reached another miraculous milestone... his 650th appearance for the club. Those 650 appearances, during two spells with the club, have brought hundreds of highs and lows.

The time he ran to the half-way line to punch an opponent and receive his marching orders. The time he crashed into his own goalpost and played the remainder of the contest with an egg-sized lump on his hairless head. The occasion he saved two penalties in on match at King’s Lynn. The time he missed one from the spot himself. These are just some of the more bizarre moments that stand out from Bastock’s career with Boston. And in an era where footballers at the top of the game are vilified for being detached from society, it is refreshing to see a local hero like Bastock prove that life means more than football... while opening a few village fetes along the way. That life has seen him work locally as a window cleaner, in a care home and also as a sports coach.

West Dunbartonshire Council award window cleaning licence to gunman: I would like to comment on the report regarding a recent West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) licensing meeting. I was present at this meeting and was astonished at some of the decisions taken. Firstly, a window cleaning licence was granted to an individual who had recently served a two-and-a-half year prison sentence for possessing a machine gun! This was followed by an application by an individual who by all accounts was a serial offender, having recently served a three years and nine month sentence for drug offences. This individual had also been observed lately by a police unit in the company of “serious and organised” criminals and planned to rent a unit from a known criminal in the Dumbarton area.

Despite strong objections by Strathclyde Police to both applications being granted, the board of WDC’s licensing committee saw fit to ignore the case put forward and proceeded to grant them. Bearing in mind that these same councillors granted licences to a gunman and a serial drug dealer I suggest that this smacks of double standards. TOA should certainly bring the matter to the attention of the Standards Commission on the grounds of complete incompetence by WDC licensing committee.

Strong Winds Blow Out Glass From Near North Side High-Rise Window: Chicago - Glass from at least one window from a Near North Side high-rise was blown out due to heavy winds on Wednesday, causing nearby streets to close to pedestrian traffic. The glass fell from a 12th-floor window in a building north of Chicago Avenue on Wabash Avenue near the Loyola Water Tower campus, Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford said. The sidewalk was closed right away and crews were sent out to block the west side of the street. A high wind watch is effect from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning near Lake Michigan. Winds will quickly increase Wednesday afternoon with strong and potentially damaging winds likely through Wednesday night. Winds will reach 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph likely, the National Weather Service said. The very strong winds could result in minor wind damage, downed tree limbs and power lines. High-rise buildings near the lake will experience even stronger winds just a couple of hundred feet above ground, the weather service said.

Food Share benefit is coming up: "Will Bowl For Food 3," which benefits Marion-Polk Food Share, is slated for next month. Oregon Paralyzed Veterans of America and ABC Window Cleaners & Building Maintenance are hosting the event. Will Bowl For Food 3 will begin at 1 p.m. Nov. 5 at Firebird Lanes, 4303 Center St. NE. Cost is $25 per person for shoe rental and two games. Or, attendees can rent a lane for $100 for up to five people, which also includes shoe rental and up to two lanes. Attendees can donate food for entry into a door prize raffle: one ticket for five cans, two tickets for 10 cans, three tickets for 15 cans and four tickets for 20 cans. For more information, call Samantha Demchak at (503) 851-4156.

City of London: Protest continues for third day - Self-employed window cleaner and protester James Awberry said he expected the demonstrators to be stereotyped but that there were many "normal, hardworking" people among them. "It's not just a bunch of hippies. We're not a single issue and we're not a one-day march. The reason why protests have never worked and never changed anything before is because they're generally speaking for a single issue for a single day. This is many issues for as long as it takes." Foreign Secretary William Hague on Sunday said that protests were not the answer, but the Green Party on Monday pledged its support to the protests in London and around the world.

"Miss Representation" takes critical look at media images: "American teenagers spend 31 hours a week watching TV, 17 hours a week listening to music, 3 hours a week watching movies, 4 hours a week reading magazines, 10 hours a week online. That's 10 hours and 45 minutes of media consumption a day." Those statistics swoosh onscreen at the beginning of Jennifer Siebel Newsom's film "Miss Representation," then swoosh off to show highly sexualized clips of women sucking their fingers, or dancing on stage in a strip club, or even just washing a window. The effect is disturbing.