Zhang Shimin has witnessed the astounding urban growth of the Chinese capital, Beijing.
Dangling on ropes, cleaner has unique window to China’s urban growth: With almost 20 years experience as a window cleaner, Zhang Shimin has witnessed the astounding urban growth of the Chinese capital. “There was nothing outside the Third Ring Road when I first came to Beijing,” he said, perched on the roof of a 31-story building overlooking the ring road.
Zhang arrived in 1993 as a migrant laborer from a rural area of Sichuan Province. Since then, he’s witnessed many of the traditional bungalows that housed most of the Beijing residents replaced by tall apartment blocks catering to the city’s growing middle class.
With the boom came demands for exterior cleaning as residents could no longer reach the outside of their windows. A few daring migrant workers like Zhang chose to take the risk and dangle down on ropes in pursuit of higher wages. The most demanding periods of the year are from the middle of March to the end of May; then from the end of September until the bitter cold stops them from working.
The contrast between the humble dwellings of the migrant worker cleaners as compared to the homes they look into everyday could not be greater, but Zhang says he seldom looks into the windows while working. “I won’t compare myself with them while working, we are totally different groups.”
In spite of the ever-expanding buildings, business is not all that it should be. Zhang explains that China’s strict anti-corruption campaign has affected their window cleaning business this year. “People who were taking rebates in the cleaning projects are holding back now, so there is really not as much [work] as normal,” he said.
Zhang’s high rise career started in Chaoyang district, the thriving business center of Beijing, which was enjoying the soaring property opportunities for the first ten years of the century. Construction work has now expanded around the major axis of the city. New high rise apartment buildings along with the expansion are providing new opportunities for Zhang and his team.
"Spidermen" (window cleaners) clean windows outside a high-rise building in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.
China's "spidermen" need more care, protection (BEIJING, Xinhua) -- Suspended from one or two ropes only as thick as a man's thumb, they hang like spiders hundreds of meters in the air, cleaning and maintaining the country's skyscrapers. A recent string of tragedies has drawn attention to the need protect China's fearless spidermen, low-tech workers who don't have the superpowers of the movie character and risk their lives every day to make a meager living.
In a highrise in Xi'an, capital of northwest China' s Shaanxi Province in late July, a sudden wind sent two dangling workers swinging. The spidermen, suspended at the 12th and 15th floors when the incident occurred, cried for help and struggled against the wind for more than 20 minutes before they were dashed against the building.
In another case, two window washers on the 91st floor of the 492-meter Shanghai World Financial Center, were injured when the cradle they occupied crashed into the skyscraper in early April. "Wind is our biggest enemy," said Chen Guofu, 40, a window-cleaner who has survived five years of high altitude and risk in Beijing.
He recalled the first time he stepped off the edge of a tall building. With sweaty palms and a vertiginous head, he carried a bucket of soapy water and a squeegee on a pole, with only a suction cup on a string to anchor himself to the window.
"If those two workers in Xi'an could have anchored themselves to the window, the tragedy may not have happened," said Chen who came to Beijing in 2003 from a village of neighboring Hebei Province. He changed jobs many times before he became a spiderman. "I have no choice since I don't have other skills," he said.
Like most spidermen, Chen is one of hundreds of millions migrant workers working in construction or cleaning to support parents and children. The current urbanization drive has brought a forest of city skyscrapers: Spidermen are important to the expansion. Their safety should also be better protected, said Zhai Jialiang, secretary general of Beijing's cleaning industry association,
More than 1,000 workplace deaths are reported each year in the construction industry, and over 60 percent of fatalities are caused by falls from high places and building collapses, said Huang Shengchu, head of National Institute for Occupational Safety under the State Administration of Work Safety.
Zhai Jialiang wants companies to establish complete management mechanisms including pre-job training for workers, regular equipment checks and emergency plans. Currently, there are more than 300 spidermen in Xi'an, fewer than 200 of whom have licenses to allow them to work aloft, said Wang Wenyong, manager of Xi'an Yunfei Property Management Company. The licenses he mentioned are either issued by China Occupational Safety and Health Association or the local work safety department.
"Without licenses, proper training and supervision, many spidermen don't even attach themselves to a backup line," said Chen Guofu. Xinhua reporters searched "high-rise window cleaning" on the Internet and found countless advertisements. Zhai told Xinhua that many are small firms and are poorly regulated. Liang said the government and association should strengthen regular supervision on cleaning and maintenance of highrise, issue clear regulations and punish companies who break the rules.
What It Looks Like to Clean the Top of the World: The world's building are growing, and so are the number of cleaners who do death-defying tricks just to keep the windows clean. Below, photos of cleaners the world over.
Window washers work on a building near a ferris wheel in Tokyo's Odaiba entertainment and shopping district. Over the "golden week" holidays Tokyo's office buildings emptied out as many people took advantage of the good weather to enjoy themselves.
Migrant laborers wash a roof near The Bund on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai. China aims to grow its economy by about 7.5 percent in 2012 and sees inflation running at around 4 percent for the year, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Monday as the country kicks off its annual parliament meetings.
A worker cleans the windows of an apartment block in central Beijing. China's main real estate regulator reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining current restrictions on property sales on Wednesday, the official Xinhua news service reported, as Beijing continues to resist calls for wider easing to offset a slowing economy.
Window cleaners work at an office building at Berlin's Kurfuerstendamm shopping mall.
Workers clean the exterior of the "Sun Valley" at the 2010 World Expo site in Shanghai.
A worker cleans the exterior windows of an office building in Munich, southern Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011.
Window cleaners retrieve ropes on top of a skyscraper in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011.
Plea after vehicle arson in Billingborough: A Business owner has appealed for witnesses after one of his vehicles was stolen and set fire to. A car owned by Billingborough-based window cleaners Sparkles was taken from the road in front of the firm’s office in Vine Street between 8pm and 9pm on Monday, August 22. The vehicle, which contained about £500 worth of cleaning equipment, was found on fire at Thorns Wood, off Mareham Lane, at about 9.15pm. Owner David Manning, 40, was at a loss to explain why the car was stolen. He said: “I was gutted when I found out. The people who did this are very vindictive, I don’t understand why they have done it. “You don’t expect things like that to happen living in a small village. “We are a very small family-run business and it meant my staff couldn’t work for a few days, which is bad enough on the financial side.”
The company owns another vehicle but was unable to complete scheduled jobs in the days following the theft and Mr Manning had to pay his four part-time staff out of his own pocket at a further cost of £500. Mr Manning is urging anyone who saw the silver Vauxhall Zafira, registration DV52 0AL, to come forward. He added: “Because the vehicle is well known and is very distinctive with two ladders on top, we are hoping that someone will have seen it and will come forward.” Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue confirmed that two crews from Sleaford had attended the blaze, and were on the scene for two hours. The fire also damaged about 160 sq ft of scrub around the car. Police spokesman James Newall said no arrests had been made so far, and investigations are ongoing.
A Scarborough woman rescued from a burning flat has admitted deliberately setting fire to the property. Elaine White, 42, pleaded guilty to being reckless after the fire in Northstead Flats, in Long Walk, Northstead, earlier this month. White, who was dramatically rescued by two eye-witnesses, was originally charged with arson but admitted the lesser offence when she appeared at York Crown Court. The court heard White set fire to her home after locking herself in. She was dragged to safety by window cleaner Ryan Burns, 27, and Jim Murphy, 58, who used a set of ladders to get into the property through an open window. They then help fire crews carry the woman to safety. Prosecuting, Alan Mitcheson, told the court White had been sent by Scarborough magistrates on the original indictment, but, after reviewing the case, he felt that the only life which she had intending harming was her own. White was remanded in custody with the case adjourned until October. Speaking after the incident, Paul Burnett, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue crew manager, praised the actions of Mr Burns and Mr Murphy. He said: “It is very commendable that they have gone and acted the way that they have.
As they dangled four stories in the air, the new Tulsa Fire Department recruits didn't have to worry about whether the apparatus would hold. Forty-nine recruits are less than a month away from completing their training, which began in May. Once they graduate, some will start work the very next day, Smallwood said. When they do, they need to know how to meet the challenges firefighters face on emergency calls of all types. "You've got to prepare for every eventuality, which is extremely difficult," said Capt. Lee Horst, one of the training captains teaching the recruits. Tuesday's training focused on rescues where the victim was in a precarious situation and needed to be hoisted to safety, Horst said. The recruits all learned how to set up the hoisting apparatus and use it to lift someone. The procedure could be used if someone has fallen into a ravine or if a window washer gets stuck on a high-rise building and needs to be brought back up, Horst said.
Toxins Lurk in Cleaning Supplies: Inhaling even small amounts of bleach can damage your nervous system, and children are particularly at risk. Did you know that bleach often hides in products such as Drano, Tilex and Cascade, which don't say "bleach" on the label? Bleach isn't the only chemical that is hazardous to our health. The kitchen harbors several toxic substances. Ammonia (in window and all-purpose cleaners) is an eye irritant that can also cause headaches and lung irritation. Petroleum distillates (metal cleaners and polishes) can damage the nervous system, skin, kidneys and eyes, and there is bleach in dishwasher detergent. In the laundry room there are petroleum distillates in spot removers, the ingredients in mothballs (naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene) are suspected carcinogens, and residues from fabric softeners can cause allergic reactions. Toilet bowl cleaners contain hydrochloric acid, which can burn the skin or cause blindness if splashed in the eyes. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website has more scary information.
Transguard takes bigger slice of $8 billion UAE FM market: The Transguard Group, an Emirates Group company, is targeting new potential business within the retail sector through its rapidly expanding facilities management (FM) division, after a raft of new contract wins awarded to its Cleaning and Hospitality teams. According to the MasterCard 2011 Worldwide Index of Global Destination Cities, both Abu Dhabi and Dubai report impressive growth rates for inbound tourism this year against 2010 figures, at 15.5% and 17.3% respectively. “Tourism and retail go hand-in-hand, and the UAE’s commitment to driving inbound visitor numbers is key to creating major business potential as we move forward,” added Hall. The company has also been awarded a contract for exterior window-cleaning services at the Marina Quays residential development in Dubai and the Park Hyatt hotel in Abu Dhabi.
New and not improved: Remember the Assembly bill that would require companies that provide building security, maintenance, window cleaning or food services to retain the employees of the previous service contractor for 90 days? Well, AB 350 has been amended. Which is to say it has been made worse. The new version exempts a new contractor from being forced to hire an employee of the previous contractor if said employee has been convicted of specific violent crimes. That makes perfect sense until one considers that, by listing specific crimes that free the new company of such hiring obligations, AB 350 implies that the contactor must hire felons convicted of other offenses -- say, embezzlement, grand theft or arson. At least that's the reading of the California Chamber of Commerce's legal staff. Is that a justifiable take-away? Hard to say, but our original objections stands: Newly hired contractors shouldn't have to take on the problems of their predecessors.
Landscaper falls victim to own success - Too many customers sign up for online deals. Merchants shouldn’t make online group-buying offers unless they can deliver, says the owner of an Eastern Shore landscaping company that’s having trouble doing so. Rob Monk, who owns Roscoe’s Landscaping, said Tuesday he’s been overwhelmed by the number of customers who signed up for the three daily deals he offered on Dealfind and Kijiji in the spring. "It seemed like a good idea at the time but I’d never do it again," he said in an interview from Lake Charlotte. Monk said 38 people signed up for a lawn-care package he offered on Kijiji in April for $140. The following month, 169 people paid $69 for interior and exterior window washing and gutter cleaning on Dealfind. Another 120 people bought a $60 voucher on Kijiji for power washing. The Roscoe’s owner said he can only work on three or four houses a day and has been hampered by the wet weather. "We’re trying to do the work and it just takes time to get to everybody; we’re working our butts off to get to it," said Monk, who started the business this year.
Roscoe’s had employees earlier this summer but Monk said he couldn’t afford to keep them. He and his son are now trying to catch up on the workload. The vouchers are good for a year and Monk is aiming to have most of them honoured by Oct. 31. Dealfind’s co-founder says there’s not much the company can do if a merchant overextends themselves. "Respectfully, I think it’s a mistake to run too many deals," Gary Lipovetsky said from Toronto. About 50 Roscoe’s buyers have received full refunds from Dealfind so far, which Lipovetsky called "a higher than average amount." As of Tuesday afternoon, the website says it has issued more than 1.2 million vouchers and saved consumers $260 million since it started last year.
"It is really a minority of the cases that it does happen," Lipovetsky said, referring to problems redeeming vouchers. He said the company has policies to protect consumers, including screening merchants and having customer service agents available. Dealfind says it issues full refunds if buyers can’t redeem the voucher or aren’t happy with the service. Ken MacKenzie of Dartmouth said he’s been trying to get Roscoe’s to clean his windows and gutters for four months. "The goal was to get our gutters done this summer and, of course, the summer is gone," he said Tuesday.
MacKenzie, who bought the voucher May 3, said he’s made four appointments with Roscoe’s since then but the company has failed to show each time. He said Dealfinders has been trying to help him. After Roscoe’s failed to show last Thursday, MacKenzie began asking Dealfinder for his money back. He’s also launched a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. A spokesman for the bureau couldn’t be reached Tuesday for comment. According to its website, the bureau has given Roscoe’s an F rating, on a scale of A-plus to F. The bureau says Roscoe’s failed to respond to two complaints filed against it in the last year.
Twit-tw-ouch! The lasting impression left by an owl after hitting window. Splat! An unfortunate owl has fallen fowl of a living room window after flying straight into it - and leaving this incredible outline. The poor beast left a near-perfect silhouette complete with wings, feathers and beak on glass in Glasgow earlier this year. It is one of a series of ghostly impact images collected online that show the last moment of life of these birds of a feather. Most of the birds are believed to have died - but miraculously a pigeon that hit a moving car and left a print on the side still managed to fly away. Exeter University post doctorate student Richard Heeks, 38, runs a group on picture sharing website Flickr where contributors from across the world submit their amazing bird-splat pictures. 'I first became aware of this phenomenon when I was having a weekend in Yorkshire,' explained Richard. To prevent birds striking windows the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds recommends fixing plastic stickers to windows. It says stickers shaped like hawks and other birds of prey are particularly effective at scaring away most other types of birds. It is estimated that thousands of birds die each year by flying into windows.
Belfast brothers Robert and Ian Stewart are the key witnesses in Northern Ireland's largest paramilitary trial for 25 years. In the summer of 2008, they packed one bag between them, drank a bottle of vodka, fled their homes in north Belfast and caught a ferry to Scotland. Between them, the two loyalist paramilitaries had £2,000 in cash, stolen from their disabled parents. Much of it was later spent on alcohol. Robert Stewart, 37, has been an alcoholic most of his life and was a habitual drug user. He took ecstasy tablets, cocaine, cannabis, acid and glue. He also used to take 60mg a day of prescription valium. Robert Stewart joined the UVF in his early 20s. As a teenager, he was a keen Liverpool fan and worked in a butcher's shop. But he soon gave it up. Although he claimed unemployment benefit, he admitted to the court he "did the double" by working as a part-time window-cleaner. He usually worked three days each week, for just 3-4 hours and normally with a hangover.
Dear Answer Man, did you know that the window glass for 1WTC is being made by Viracon of Minnesota? — Art Reckinger, Rochester. I do now. Viracon, based in Owatonna, has been involved in a lot of high-profile projects, including the Comcast Cower in Philadelphia, another glass-skinned skyscraper that bears some resemblance to the New York project. According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the components of the 1 World Trade Center building, the major building under construction on the former site of the twin towers, are being assembled by Benson Industries, a curtain wall contractor based in Portland, Ore., with Viracon as contractor for the glass. The building will have 82 floors, but with its spire will be 1,776 feet tall, making it the tallest in the United States and reputedly the tallest all-office building in the world when it opens in 2013.
Putting Their Guard Up: In what City Council Speaker Chirstne Quinncalled an efort to make better use of city resoures, the council approved Intro 531-A, which would step up enforcement of city rules requiring that all apartments occuped by young children have guards on the window. Currently, only health inspectors have the authority to check for window guards. The bill would also allow housing inspectors to check for the window guards and to order owners to install them where needed. Owners who do not coply within 21 days face fines. Emphasizing the measure does not take any authority away from the health department, Quin said it "also gives that power to housing inspectors who are out there every day." In the city, Quin said, "The number of children who fall out of windows is not as high as it was at one time," but national figures indicate the need to make sure that window guards are in place.
18yo writes book about his $50k debt: While most 20-year-olds are busying themselves with plans for the weekend, Piers Elliot has completed his first book. Titled Poor Me! How I Stuffed Up By Getting Into Debt So You Don’t Have To, the book details the young author’s quick decline into fiscal fiasco. On his 18th birthday, Elliot was debt-free. A week later he signed a $15,000 lease on a shiny new Ford Falcon XR6. Now he faces a seven-year struggle to pay off an accumulated $50,000 debt. “I thought I knew best,” he said. “If I’d heard from other kids what it really means to owe a lot of money I’m sure I’d have thought twice.” The Breakfast Point resident, who works as a high-rise window cleaner and delivers pizzas at night to repay the debt, made his literary debut with the help of mum Domini Stuart, a freelance journalist. The book also includes accounts from other youngsters who have found themselves in financial strife.
Nick Petrovic, a psychologist and contributor to the book, said the instance of young people getting into debt may have a strong neurological underpinning. “Young people tend to be more impulsive as their brains are still developing,” he said. An older and wiser Elliot hopes his book will help others steer clear of making bad financial decisions. “The trouble is that, when debt is a problem, you feel so ashamed and embarrassed you keep quiet about it,” he said. “Nobody gets to hear the bad news, so that’s why I’ve decided to speak out.”
Seven Peaks buys troubled CityDeals: The abrupt shutdown of CityDeals.com last week left merchants wondering if they would get paid and consumers questioning whether the certificates and gift cards they bought were worthless. The website sold coupons for goods or services from businesses that hoped deep discounts would attract new customers who would then return again and again. CityDeals owes Pleasant Grove chiropractor Geoff Moultrie about $1,700, said his wife, Mandy Moultrie. "We would just like to get our money back and we would be happy. We just don't know who is liable," she said. Seven Peaks has worked around the clock making arrangements to take care of merchants that have been waiting for payments from CityDeals, Law said. It also is working with businesses to ensure coupons sold on on the website to date are honored. "Most everyone is willing to deal and is anxious to move forward," he said.
But Seven Peaks is not paying cash. How it will compensate vendors is unique to each situation, he said. One approach is to offer credits to its water parks and fun centers. "I don't know what I'm going to do with $20,000 worth of credits to Seven Peaks over my lifetime," said Todd Elkins, owner of Sharper View Window Cleaning. CityDeals didn't pay him in June and July. "There's nothing besides them paying what's rightfully mine for me to have any interest in them."
UK based JV Price has ordered a new 38 metre Bronto Skylift S38XDT mounted on a highly specified Volvo chassis. The new unit, which the family owned company considers will be “the ultimate window cleaning machine” will join the company’s existing Bronto S37XDT. The company says it is also looking closely at the new Bronto S50XDTJ for a number of larger – higher contracts that it hopes to win.
Life in a Tudor home: One of Exeter's most famous Tudor buildings, this tiny house was moved in the 60s to make way for the inner-city bypass, but neither time or upheaval have diluted its charm. It's not necessarily the most viable space for a business because it gets bigger as it goes up – the ground floor is tiny. The beams are original but all the plaster was renewed when they moved it. The good thing with these old timber frames is that they are rock solid – English oak from that era is now so hard. The tiny leaded window panes have also been replaced, but kept in style. Maintaining them requires a window cleaner with a bit of nerve. None of the windows are the same size.
George with his wife Olivia who believes he had several affairs: It’s all rather extraordinary as, until now, it has always been thought that George Harrison’s love story with Olivia Arias was one of complete spiritual and emotional union. George quickly asked her to move into Friar Park with him, so she relocated to England. At first, she found it lonely. She added: ‘I organise everything in my house. I know each glass that is chipped, which window needs washing; I have the ironing board in my bedroom. I find housework therapeutic.’
Councillors clash over saving plans: A series of council savings proposals that caused controversy less than 12 months ago are back on the agenda. Councillors are currently being presented with lists of potential ways to save or make money for the local authority. The savings proposals which were before the committee to be noted by members also included staffing reductions, efficiency measures for items such as printing, window cleaning and travel, property rationalisation, increasing fees and charges and reducing libraries budget by 25 per cent.
Disturbance: On Sept. 2, a business owner in the 1800 block of Glenview Road reported a male began washing the business' windows without permission and demanded payment.
Carson City: A 24-year-old window cleaner from Carson City was arrested at 1:23 a.m. Sunday in the 1000 block of North Carson Street on suspicion of misdemeanor drunken driving, failure to obey a traffic signal and driving without a license. Bail was set at $1,401.
Lucky... man's foot caught in metal grille after falling 2 floors, saving his life.
Harrowing ... the man hangs precariously from the window grilles
Incredible escape as man catches leg on window grilles after apartment fall: An elderly man in Beijing is rescued by police after dangling from the eighth floor window grill of his apartment building. A Chinese man has had an incredible escape after slipping from his 10th floor apartment while cleaning his windows. The man was saved from a complete freefall to the Beijing street below when his leg caught on the window grilles of a unit on the eighth floor. Neighbours found him dangling outside their flat on Tuesday and called police.
When rescuers arrived, they secured the man's leg with a rope in case it came free, before pulling him to safety. The man had to be persuaded to let go of the railing before the rescue worker who climbed out to him was able to haul him to safety, London's Daily Telegraph reported. Local media reported the man was treated at a nearby hospital.
Safe ... the man is carried to safety.
He was remarkably unscathed except for a few scrapes, reports said. Original Chinese video of the event below.
Picture of the day, titled "A hopeless job to do......" Click to enlarge.
Counting the cost of Bath's gulls: A wildlife expert is asking people in Bath to help him compile evidence of the impact of gulls on the city. Researcher Peter Rock will be applying through Bristol University for a grant to research the breeding habits of the birds in the hope of uncovering possible solutions to the myriad problems they cause. Mr Rock conducts annual counts of the urban gull populations in Bath, Bristol, and Gloucester and all three cities would be involved in the three-year research project. Now he is asking businesses and individuals to tell him about the impact of gulls on their operations and lives as he presents his case for research funding to the Natural Environment Research Council. He said that many of the methods so far used to control the birds - such as nets, spikes, wires and even plastic owls - had had "no effect at all on populations." He added: "Actually, these so-called solutions have been little more than guesswork. And it seems that every new idea costs more than the last. "The question is this: when have we ever solved any problems in any sphere without first understanding exactly what we're dealing with? The pest control industry has had 20 years to tackle the urban gull issue and it has already cost plenty. It will continue to do so until we start to take urban gulls more seriously. It's high time, then, that we got the science done." He said the kind of research he was proposing had never been done before and would involve satellite technology to track the birds. Mr Rock said that the best techniques for sorting out the problem would emerge from the research: "The birds will show us the way forward." He added: "The bottom line is that without the research there will be no solutions, local economies will continue to suffer and for those whose experience of urban gulls has been poor, it will get worse." He wants to look at the options so far tried - from egg oiling to spikes - and the costs people have incurred, as well as the volume of repairs, maintenance and cleaning local people and organisations have been involved in. Mr Rock is also keen to hear from tourist businesses about the impact of gulls on their customers, from city centre residents about sleep disruption and from people forced to spend money on car, window or dry cleaning. All information will be kept confidential and should be emailed to pete.rock@blueyonder.co.uk
Windows of opportunity: Local businessman Steve Burbidge thought he'd moved to Cornwall to take things a little slower but it hasn't worked out quite how he'd planned! He'd run a successful cleaning business in the South East for 10 years, but about six months ago, following a family holiday, his wife decided that they were moving here. The London business was doing well, but after a few months, Steve began to feel the need to do something more, and started doing a bit of window cleaning for friends. It just snowballed from there, and six months on, he has 60 employees across Cornwall, working in a variety of roles from telesales and canvassing to cleaning. Now Steve and Jobcentre Plus are working together to recruit a further 20 staff at a recruitment and information event tomorrow, from 10am to 1pm at Truro Jobcentre. If you would like to know more about vacancies, then contact Neil on 01872 355123 or Steve on 07530 207493,
What To Expect From Your Window Cleaning Contractor: How good is your window cleaner? Here are some ideas on what you should be expecting. Much will depend of course on the nature of your building and other constraints you are under financially. Building useage can also play a large part in the extent to which you need your contractor to perform. Are all aspects of their business able to provide you with the information you need, when you need it? Is that communication at the standard you would hope for? Does their publicity information tell you clearly and professionally what you need to know? Are their proposals comprehensive? A really thorough proposal is a sign of a well-organised business. Is their invoicing detailed, timely and accurate? When you contact them, do they answer promptly and do they resolve your query quickly? Do they email you an attendance sheet to confirm that the work has been done? Do they have a Health & Safety policy? What evidence is there that the policy is adhered to? How do management check that it is being adhered to? What action do they take when there are problems? What is their accident record? What standards do they expect from their own staff? When cleaning internally, you should expect their staff to be trustworthy, smart, conscientious, non-intrusive, ask before they move anything, remove shoes where appropriate, knock on doors before entering, be respectful, polite and friendly without distracting staff who are working and finally, clean and tidy up when finished It is not unreasonable for you to expect your window cleaners to turn up on time! Inevitably, occasionally delays do occur, but when they do a phone call to warn whoever is expecting them is the least that should happen. When you select a window cleaning company, you want someone you can rely on. To give you the confidence you need, the company should be prepared to offer you guarantees. You should never receive an invoice unless they are completely satisfied that the job has been completed to the standards agreed. If you are not happy with any part of the work carried out, they should revisit the site and put it right within 48 hours of being notified. What is their staffing like? Each staff member should have been trained and certificated to the relevant standards. There should be a training record available for you to see. You should establish whether staff undergo security checks and what the length of service of all staff are. The longer they have been employed, generally the more secure and well-run the company is. How many of the staff are full time and how many are on contract or subcontractors? If you are The Buyer for arranging commercial window cleaning make sure you read Marcus P Weeks’ very good free guide called ‘Everything you need to know about buying commercial window cleaner services’ or go to the MPW website.
The mechanics of robotic success: BEIJING -A rickshaw pulled by a robot wearing a cowboy hat and sporting a dandy plastic moustache jerks into life and then clicks and whirrs its way across a component-strewn courtyard. For many years the man controlling the machine, Wu Yulu, was seen as the village idiot, a crackpot inventor of robots who would do anything to avoid the farm work he was supposed to do. “This path has cost me a lot. At first everyone thought I was mad. I’m a farmer, I should do farm work,” he says. But Mr Wu, 46, is having the last laugh. His amateur robotics earned him the title “China’s Cleverest Farmer” on a popular TV show in 2004 and now the contracts are rolling in from companies keen to exploit his peculiar genius. “Dajia hao [hello everybody],” a metallic voice says as the rickshaw driver lurches up and down. “I am a robot and my father is Mr Wu,” the man-machine continues as it makes its way through the inventor’s courtyard. The area is littered with automatons made out of scrap metal and what look like watch parts and dolls’ heads to which Mr Wu adds liberal doses of genius and love. Among the robots he has built are machines for making tea, for lighting cigarettes, even for playing the traditional Chinese erhu, a type of violin. He is now building a window-cleaning device for company based in the capital Beijing. Once viewed as a bit of a madman, Mr Wu is now revered as a “teacher” by visiting university students from the city. His brother has even taken over the family’s farming duties to allow Mr Wu to concentrate on his inventions. “I stuck with it and when I won my prize of 10,000 yuan (Dh5,376) they all changed their minds,” Mr Wu says. “They realised I could make money with this.” Mr Wu has made more than 30 robots, from one-legged ones to those with two, four and even 20 legs. “Some can jump, some can clean windows and some can climb the walls. Every one is different,” he says in a tone which could only be described as loving. Climbing aboard one of his later walking machines – basically a car seat atop six robot legs – he says: “I do all of this just for fun. I only went to primary school, I have no education and I’m a farmer. Many people visit him at his home which is in a village where everyone has the same surname. College students visit him to seek inspiration. “They call me laoshi (teacher). They want to learn skills,” he says. The corner of the room is decorated with the various awards and prizes he has won, including the Smartest Farmer award. “All my inventions are called ‘Wu’ and then a number. This is ‘Wu 25’,” he says, as a purple-haired robot, whose body looks like a petrol can, approaches. In fact, many of Mr Wu’s robots exist solely to show different ways of walking. “This machine is straightforward, a fanning machine I made when I was wooing my wife. In hot weather it keeps her cool,” says Mr Wu, as a four-legged machine begins to frantically wave a plastic fan, sending oil-scented air in my direction. The next mechanical marvel, “Wu 22”, is a jumping robot which leaps like a Meccano gymnast. Its head is made from a ping-pong ball and gives it a sinister edge, making it look something like one of the evil mutant toys in the animated film Toy Story 2. Indeed, Mr Wu’s machines have inflicted injury on their creator. Over the years he has been treated in hospital several times after being hit by flying spare parts and his obsession with robots has alienated him from his children. But his wife, Dong Shuyan, has stood by him. As she climbs aboard the rickshaw for a jaunt across the courtyard, she says: “It’s been hard to accept. But he’s done good.”
“Law of Window Cleaning: It's on the other side” - I'm taking out the back door screen today and admitting defeat. Putting in the storm door means I have recognized the end of summer. The house is quite chilly in the morning and leaving the door open for Gracie to come and go is just too much. I remember it was around this time my dad would replace the screens with storm windows. He'd drag the storms out of the cellar, sit outside on the front steps and clean every one of them until they met his approval. He always used rags to clean his windows. Most times they were old t-shirts. Next, he'd take down all the screens. In those days putting up the storms wasn't ever easy. Each was placed over a window in a put slot B into slot A process, and it took both hands. Slot A was just above the windows and slot B was at the top of the storms. The storm windows had to fit exactly. It got tricky for the second floor when my dad had to haul the storm windows one by one up a ladder then attach each to a second story window. We always feared for his life. He always cursed. Storm windows got easier, but they were always my dad's job. He still cleaned every one of them and he still used a rag. I swear it was the same t-shirt year after year.
Smith Field shows grass-roots power: When the imminent closure of Smith Field made news more than six years ago, pilots and others rallied to its defense and ultimately saved the small north-side airport from extinction. Next week's scheduled temporary shutdown for more than $1 million in runway repairs isn't nearly as noteworthy, except for one thing: It offers a timely reminder of how powerful ordinarily quiet people can be when they decide to fight for a cause. But those what-ifs should not obscure what SAFE members and others accomplished - a grass-roots effort being duplicated on a national scale today in various tea parties and town-hall meetings organized by people who object to what government is doing. “We're very happy. What happened is probably better than we could have hoped for,” said DeWald, a pilot and owner of Real Clean, a window-cleaning business. But both O'Donnell and DeWald say the success of the “Save Smith Field” movement indicates a potential shortcoming of grass-roots politics, as well: People who get involved for the wrong reasons may not stay involved once the battle is over. Some people who supposedly wanted to place their planes at Smith Field in an apparent effort to prove its viability never followed through after its survival was assured, O'Donnell said. “Sometimes people are just looking for excitement and a good cause,” added DeWald.
Building blitz finds dozens of dole cheats and lethal lorries: More than 40 people were caught working on building sites while claiming unemployment benefits during a crackdown on benefit cheats and bogus workmen in the Lothians. Officers swooped on dozens of small construction sites alongside investigators from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in a string of operations. The clampdown also saw 37 vans or flat-bed lorries used by tradesmen taken off the roads after they were ruled too dangerous to be driven. As well as finding benefit cheats and unsafe work vehicles in West Lothian, Operation Flush was aimed at catching bogus workmen ripping off vulnerable people through cold-calling victims to sell unwanted services, or carry out shoddy or unnecessary work at inflated prices. Officers put up posters and distributed leaflets to legitimate tradesmen asking for intelligence about unscrupulous operators, and said they were given a number of tip-offs. Sergeant Jamie Hood, from Broxburn police station, said: "We focused on small building sites, like work being done on private houses. They usually gave the same excuses, such as they were not being paid and only helping out a friend. Officers also caught three people behind the wheel of work vehicles without driving licences, while three were not insured. Operation Flush began with two one-day initiatives in January, followed by two four-day operations in mid-June and the end of last month. Officers were joined during Operation Flush by officials from HM Customs & Excise, who caught three workmen illegally using red diesel in their vehicles. Red diesel is sold at a cheaper rate and is only permitted for use in agriculture. Aside from the builders, five window cleaners were caught working while claiming benefits and without council certificates.
Robert E. McGill Jr., passed away at his home in Destin, Florida September 20, 2009, several weeks after celebrating his 88th birthday. Robert grew up in Alexandria during the depression years. After the war, he attended Louisiana State University where he studied chemistry and physics. He remained a loyal "Tiger fan" to the end. He started "Baton Rouge Window Cleaning Company" while at LSU, and moved into the real estate business in the 1950's. Among his notable business achievements in Baton Rouge are numerous residential subdivisions, including Plantation Trace, as well as, several commercial projects including Cortana Mall in 1967.
