Belfast Window Cleaners Organise World Cup Flags

Brazil World Cup supporter Bobby Maginn at Iris Drive off the Springfield Road.

World Cup 2014: We won't be Cross even if England win, say west Belfast residents. The beginning of the World Cup has sparked fresh flag controversy in Northern Ireland – but it's all in the samba spirit. A street in west Belfast has caught the attention of passers-by after residents hung the flags of all 32 nations competing in Rio from their homes – even the St George's Cross of old enemy England.

The colourful and impressive display on Iris Drive has been organised by a group of local window cleaners who held a sweep for countries and put up flags for participating homeowners. Sandy Turley, Packi Ryan and Stephen Walsh said residents were more than happy to get involved once they told them about their idea. "The atmosphere and community spirit in response has been overwhelming," Sandy said. "We are running on a motto of 'embrace the race', so whoever you got – even England – you have to fly the flag and support your team."

Mick Goodman drew the dreaded England ticket but said he was taking it in good spirits. "I've been dubbed English Mick and there has been a lot fun poked our way, but it's all in good fun," he said. "Some of the houses pulled Algeria and countries with no hope, I'm happy to be in the mix – even if it is England," he joked. Paul Davey, a resident in Iris Drive and who has helped organise the event, said it was great to finally have some positive flag news. A huge street party is planned on the day of the World Cup final, with the match being projected on to an outside wall for everyone to watch.

Window Cleaner Has Arm Severed Off

The cyclist - a window-cleaner on his way to work - is said to be in a stable condition in hospital.

Brazil outrage over Sao Paulo cyclist's lost arm: A road collision in Brazil has caused outrage after police said a motorist drove off with a cyclist's severed arm attached to his vehicle. The driver, who later turned himself in, told Sao Paulo police that he had dumped the limb in a stream. The arm has not been recovered but doctors believe it could have been reattached, police told local media.

The cyclist - a window-cleaner on his way to work - is said to be in a stable condition in hospital. The accident that saw the cyclist's arm torn off took place on Sunday morning on Avenida Paulista, one of Sao Paulo's busiest streets. The authorities say the driver, a 22-year old student, will be charged with attempted murder and driving while under the influence of alcohol. However, they haven't yet decided how to charge him for the disposal of the arm. The student says the arm fell into the car after the collision.

The motorist's lawyer, Cassio Paoletti, has told BBC Brasil he denies the attempted murder accusation and that his client did not stop for fear of the reactions of witnesses. "If he had stayed, they would have killed the boy. For instance, the police station was surrounded by hundreds of people who verbally abused and threw cans at my client's father, who's a 60-year-old man," Mr Paoletti said, adding he would press for serious bodily harm charges.

A policeman told the BBC the case was still under investigation, but the driver had admitted to throwing the arm into the stream. "It has dirty, murky waters, so it might be difficult to find it," he said, adding that the man was being questioned about the details. Police say the motorist was on his way back from a night out when his car hit the window-cleaner.

After the accident, he reportedly drove a friend home and discarded the arm, before turning himself in. A number of cyclists gathered outside the police district where the driver was being questioned to protest. Cycle activists have been campaigning for more safety on the city's streets for months.

Avenida Paulista is one of São Paulo's busiest streets.

Naked cyclists on protest rides: Sao Paulo - Scores of nude cyclists rolled through Brazil's financial and industrial hub on Saturday to call attention to the bare facts: this city is dangerous for bikers, and short on dedicated bike lanes. Some demonstrators did a Full Monty ride while others opted for a relatively demure topless protest that was carried out in some other Brazilian cities, like Porto Alegre, and in Peru's capital, Lima. “When we take it all off, we are showing just how vulnerable we are when we are not in a car,” one demonstrator in this city of 11 million with just 67km of bikes-only lanes, told local media. In Lima, protesters were demanding bike lanes and better traffic lighting. They said they also were trying to raise awareness of cycling as a healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transport.

Window washers' Amazing Escape in Brazil

Two window washers in Brazil had to scramble to safety through a window after violent winds began throwing their platform into a high-rise building. In amazing footage broadcast on Globo News, a Brazilian news channel, the two men can be seen swinging on the Aesa platform high above the city of Sao Paulo. Anxious office workers inside the building can be seen watching the drama unfold just metres away, as the cleaners are smashed repeatedly against the building. As the platform comes to a rest at one point, the office workers open a window and pull the pair to safety. After the 49-m.p.h winds caused their cart to swing dangerously back-and-forth, nearly 100 feet above ground - Both men were taken to the hospital for minor cuts and bruises. Footage of the swinging platform begins 30 seconds into the broadcast.

Window Cleaning Odds & Ends

Cristiano Ronaldo accused of stealing millionaire window cleaners businessman's wife: A millionaire businessman last night claimed his marriage had been wrecked by Cristiano Ronaldo. Devastated John Haynes, 50, branded the football ace a slimy toe-rag after discovering his wife Olena, 25, above, and the footballer had sent each other more than 300 text messages.
John claims Olena was using a secret mobile he found stashed in their home. He says Manchester United and Portugal star Ronaldo, 23, struck up a relationship with the Ukraine-born brunette in August. Dumped John, director of a window cleaning business, said: "When I found a telephone at home I saw it wasn't one of my contract phones that she normally uses. Then I saw it was bleeping and I picked it up and went through the messages. "There were a total of 300 messages from each of them over a two-week period. "I saw 49 messages coming in from him with his number saved as Ronaldo. "The text messages looked like they had been written by a seven-year-old it was dreadful English and they mentioned Portugal. They were very coyly written. They were things like, Do you miss me baby? I miss you. "I just assumed she was playing around with a waiter in a restaurant who had just arrived from Portugal. I had no idea it was him. "I put it to her on many occasions and she wouldn't tell me exactly what was happening. "When Ronaldo failed to take my calls I texted him warning him to back off because she was a married woman. "I asked her what was going on she said, 'Oh, it's something and nothing. "I flew her to Kiev to get her out of the country because I suspected something was going on and unbeknown to me she flew back to the UK 10 days later." John says the first text was sent on August 31 and Olena moved out of the marital home to live with a friend on September 13. John says his worst suspicions were confirmed when he was shown a photo of his wife and Ronaldo leaving a restaurant in Manchester late on November 28.

Artist's quids in: These three Gadgies have just ridden off with thousands. The trio are featured in a painting by North artist Alex Millar, which has just netted top price at an auction in Newcastle. Alex, who's based in Newcastle, is best known for his pictures of the gadgie, the cloth-capped northern character who has a mongrel dog and rides a bike! His paintings are in huge demand, selling for thousands of pounds. Anderson & Garland’s winter sale saw pieces from all eras go under the hammer but it was former window cleaner Alex’s work that attracted the most attention, eventually getting snapped up by a mystery bidder for £13,000. The Newcastle-based artist made his name by producing a series of paintings of “Gadgies,” inspired by old men he used to see while growing up. And he is delighted his work continues to sell well. Alex, 48, said: “It is very flattering. “I always find it amazing when they start going for large sums of money but I think these days, the way the banks are, people get drawn to art as a great investment, which it is.”

Another reason those spray on window cleaners should be banned....

Not new news, but a great video of those business cards that are available on your van/truck.

I liked this one....

Employer not aware of maid's dangerous stunt, SINGAPORE: Madam Ella was tending to her laundry at the corridor outside her flat on Wednesday afternoon when she was struck by a sight that left her shaken. At the block opposite her fourth-storey flat in Jalan Tenaga, near Bedok Reservoir, a young domestic worker was standing on the narrow ledge outside a third-storey window, cleaning the glass. The 39-year-old preschool teacher described the way that the maid was moving around with no safety equipment as 'doing stunts'. She rushed back into her flat from the corridor after she saw that scene. 'I didn't want to go out again because I was afraid,' she said. 'I didn't want to be there if anything happened.' She said she had heard of recent deaths from falls in the area, and had no wish to see anyone fall to her death. She told her 12-year-old daughter what she saw, and the girl then decided to photograph the maid while hiding behind a pillar. This was around 3.30pm, Madam Ella said. The girl snapped two photos at first. Madam Ella said her daughter took a third shot 10 minutes later, so that was at least how long the domestic worker was out there. She said she decided not to call the police as she was worried about causing trouble for the maid. In the end, she decided to send the pictures to The New Paper to highlight the dangerous situation.
TWO maids died in late 2006, and another maid had worked only for eight days when she plunged to her death in March last year. Such incidents prompted the Ministry Of Manpower (MOM) to impose measures to prevent such incidents. These include offering safety awareness courses and taking action against errant employers. The publicity seems to have had some effect. In 2007, the total number of foreign domestic worker deaths fell to 25 from anannual average of 35 over the last sixyears. In November 2007, one employer, Tang Cheong Kim, was convicted and fined $4,000 for failing to provide a safe working environment for her domestic worker. As part of the Work Permit conditions, employers are responsible for providing a safe working environment for their maids. Failure to do so is an offence under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Offenders can be fined up to $5,000 and/ or jailed up to six months. Errant employers will also be disallowed from hiring another foreign domestic worker. Mr John Gee, president of Transient Workers Count Too, an advocacy group for migrant workers, said: 'Our members themselves have seen workers hanging outside windows.' Other than employers telling the maid to go outside, some cases of falls happened because the maid themselves tried to escape the flat after being barred from leaving. Mr Gee said that there were also cases of maids going out of the window without being told. 'It's a wise precaution for any employer to anticipate this,' he said. He says the law is clear that the employer is responsible for the maid's safety. To find oneself in trouble not through any choice of one's own can be 'especially galling'. What should you do if you spot a maid doing an unsafe act? You can can report unsafe working conditions to MOM by calling the MOM foreign domestic worker hotline at 1800-3395505 or by sending an e-mail.

A typical example in Brazil...