Glass News For The Discerning Window Cleaner

The miracle spray-on glass that stops the bugs: Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool is coating the toys in its wards with a revolutionary form of "liquid glass" that has proven in trials to reduce the number of disease-causing bacteria living on the surface of objects. Severely ill children being treated at Alder Hey are often not allowed to play with the hospital's pool of toys because of fears that infections will be passed between patients, some of whom may have suppressed immune systems resulting from their life-saving treatment. The liquid glass, which is safe and completely inert, forms an invisible, flexible coating on the surface of an object and repels dirt and grime. More importantly, it is believed to prevent the build-up of hospital-acquired infections such as the superbug Staphylococcus aureus, which is resistant to many antibiotics.
Alder Hey is testing the experimental coating on the toys in its children's wards because these shared objects come into intimate body contact and could easily become a source of a hospital-acquired infection spread between the children. "We have an awful lot of toys and many of them are difficult to clean. We even have to remove some of them because they are so difficult to keep clean, yet they are so important for the children," said Pauline Bradshaw, operational director of infection, prevention and control at Alder Hey."We view toys in the same frame as any other medical device that has to be cleaned and decontaminated. Once the toy is coated with the liquid glass you cannot see any difference whatsoever. I think it's got great potential not just for toys but for other hospital settings," Ms Bradshaw said.
Tests of the liquid glass in another nearby hospital, Southport and Formby District General, have shown that coating surfaces such as floors, bedside tables, washbasins, toilet handles and lift buttons, can reduce bacterial growth by between 25 and 50 per cent. The three-month trial at Southport compared surfaces coated with the liquid-glass, made by a German company called Nanopool, against untreated surfaces. Hospital staff followed their usual cleaning routines and were not told which surfaces had been coated. Scientists took swabs of different hospital areas every week for the 12-week period and the final results demonstrated a clear, statistical difference in bacterial load between the treated and untreated surfaces, according to the official evaluation of the trial. "These initial results suggest that the Nanopool coating would be effective in reducing levels of contamination on a range of surfaces in hospitals and could potentially improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the cleaning regime," the report says.
"The evaluation also confirmed that the Nanopool coating can be applied in a busy hospital setting with relative ease and with minimal disruption," it says. The liquid glass, a form of silicon dioxide in solution, was originally developed as an anti-graffiti coating for the outside of buildings but scientists soon realised that it had the potential to act as an anti-bacterial barrier. Nanopool said that it has conducted tests at a meat-processing plant in Germany and found that cleaning treated surfaces with hot water was just as effective at killing bacteria as cleaning untreated surfaces with a bleach solution.
Neil McClelland, Nanopool's UK project manager, said that the liquid glass coating is just a few millions of a millimetre thick and the electrostatic forces on the nanoscale film repel water and dirt. They also prevent bacteria from replicating in the way they would normally do on an untreated surface, he said. "The tests show that we can reduce bacterial loading by between 25 and 50 per cent at a stroke and I suspect it may be higher with a bespoke cleaning method we are developing. As soon as the data on the trial was released we got a request from the same hospital in Southport to coat 150 toilets," Mr McClelland said. Brent Dunleavey, the managing director of Radal Technology, which is subcontracted by Nanopool, is working with Alder Hey and other NHS hospitals interested in using liquid glass to coat surfaces at risk of spreading superbugs. The trial on the Alder Hey toys will involve a new cleaning method that does away with the usual caustic, bleaching agents and instead uses a "skin-safe, food-safe biocide", said Mr Dunleavey. Conventional cleaning products used in hospitals often leave a residue that could interfere with the anti-bacterial properties of the liquid glass, he said. Previous blog on nanopool here.

Volvo sues Pilkington over 'price-fixing': The claim by Volvo could run into millions of pounds and will pit the car maker's new Chinese owner, Geely, against Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG), the Japanese company that bought Pilkington for £2.2bn in 2006. In December 2008, the European Commission found Pilkington and three rivals – Asahi, Saint-Gobain and Soliver – had breached competition law by conspiring to fix prices and allocate markets for car glass products between 1998 and 2003.

Glass Pool Walls See Increasing Popularity in Australia: Glass and glazing trends vary from country to country. In Europe, for example, double-glazed facades are quite common, while in Australia, glass railings and balustrades can be seen on many homes, condos and hotel projects. In addition to balcony and patio railings, glass walls surrounding pools are also growing in popularity in Australia. “[Large-scale], frameless, glass pool walls are at the top end of the affordability scale,” said Vince Bianchini with Cooling Brothers, an Australian glass company located in High Wycombe, Western Australia. “There is an increasing trend for glass pool windows, which our company engineers, supplies and installs on a regular basis.”

Glass or metal? That could become an increasingly important question for developers of concentrating solar power projects. A growing number of companies, from 3M to Abengoa Solar, are working on mirrors made of metals and polymer that aim to be lightweight and cheaper than the glass variety. 3M is doing a pilot-stage launch of its Solar Mirror Film, and it’s planning for a full commercial launch by the end of the year, said Daniel Chen, business development manager of 3M’s renewable energy division. “Saving time and material costs are the big advantages,” Chen said during a recent poster session at 3M’s headquarters in Minnesota. Metallic films “also are easier to transport – you can pack them densely and use aluminum locally” for project construction.
Like GE and other titans in their industries, 3M is keen on winning a fat slice of the growing renewable energy market. The use of metal film, which is then laminated onto an aluminum backing, isn’t a new concept, and 3M launched a similar product in the 1980s. It lasted for 4-5 years before the entire market disappeared, Chen said. The company restarted the research in this area about two years ago, when the solar industry began to revive in earnest. Proponents say metal mirrors are suitable for all types of solar thermal power plant designs, including parabolic trough, power tower and stirling dish. But replacing glass, a durable and highly reflective material with a long history of surviving the outdoors, won’t be so easy. Investors and utilities tend to prefer well-proven technologies over novel ones. The largest solar thermal power complex in the world, the 354-megawatt solar field in the Mojave Desert, was built between 1984 and 1991 with glass mirrors.



Glass-bottomed hot air balloon takes its maiden flight: These stomach-churning images capture the moment the world's first glass-bottomed hot air balloon took its maiden flight today. The traditional wicker four-man basket has a completely transparent floor which provides passengers with heart-stopping views of the scenery below. The balloon took to the skies over Bath, Somerset, to mark the start of the 2010 Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. The basket was the brainchild of Christian Brown - a pilot with 18 years experience flying balloons - who admitted the flight was a 'terrifying experience'. He said: 'We've done tethered trials before, which usually end with passengers shrieking and screaming in fear, but this is the first time we've actually taken to the skies unaided. 'Ordinarily, you would look over the edge of the basket to peer at the ground below but there is something very disconcerting about seeing it right beneath your feet. The traditional wicker-sided basket carries up to two passengers and two pilots who stand on two-inch thick glass. Christian, 44, travelled the world in a balloon with tycoon Richard Branson and currently holds the tethered altitude world record after flying at 10,000ft on a mountain in Chile. Click pictures to enlarge.

The CEO of Molded Fiber Glass Companies, a distinguished international composites manufacturer, has earned additional recognition while serving as honorary president of the recent JEC Composites tradeshow in Paris. Richard Morrison opened the global show and served as a host for the awards ceremony. He also presented an overview of the fast-growing U.S. wind energy market, which Molded Fiber Glass (MFG) supports by manufacturing blades for wind turbines. During the global show, MFG was cited as one of the most “innovative advanced composite enterprises in the United States.” “As in other sectors, composite processors are currently under pressure, squeezed between raw material suppliers, who are hiking up their rates, and customers, who are holding out for better prices,” said Frédérique Mutel, president and CEO of the JEC Group, which promotes the use of composites worldwide.

Pilkington owner Nippon Sheet Glass expects profits: Pilkington owner Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG) is now expecting to go back into the black this year as the global recovery is increasing demand for its products. The company had forecast that it would make a loss of £29m in the year to March, 2011, as its key markets in construction and the automotive sector remain depressed. But improvements in both those markets mean it is now predicting a net income for the year of £7m. Its annual sales forecast remains constant at £4.4bn, thanks to the effects of the strong yen. In another sign that its markets are strengthening, last month Pilkington announced it was to restart one of its St Helens float lines in a move that will create up to 130 jobs. The decision was attributed to strong demand in South America.

47-inch touchscreen machine launched: No one has embraced the technological revolution quite like the Japanese. And when we say embraced, we mean produced a number of impressive, hi-tech gizmos and gadgets that could definitely be classified as exorbitant. And this latest bit of futuristic kit, without doubt, falls into that category. Because Japanese firm JR East has developed a vending machine that does away with the old fashioned method of simply looking through the glass and choosing the actual product you want, and instead gives the user a digital representation of what's on offer via a 47-inch touchscreen display. The display is also fully customised for the user, based on their age and gender, (it scans them using an embedded camera) and can also use its WiMAX capabilities to store buyers' purchase history.

Soladigm to Build $130 Million Factory, Create 300 Jobs in Mississippi: Soladigm, a developer of high-tech materials for energy efficient glass windows, announced that it will invest $130 million to build a factory in Olive Branch, where it expects to create about 300 jobs that will pay between $18 to $25 an hour. To attract the company here, the State of Mississippi is providing a $40 million loan and another $4 million of incentives for project improvements. Founded in 2007, Soladigm is currently operating a pilot production line at its headquarters in Milpitas, Calif. The company is backed by around $40 million of venture capital investment from Khoshla Ventures and Sigma Partners. In June, the U.S. Department of Energy also provided Soladigm with a $3.5 million stimulus grant.
Soladigm’s products include recent advancements in glass, optical coatings, and semiconductor technologies. Its glass can change from clear to tinted on demand, controlling the amount of light and heat that enters a building, resulting in energy savings. “The combination of Mississippi’s dedication to manufacturing, the proximity of our new plant to Memphis, the nation’s logistics and distribution hub, and Governor Barbour’s tremendous support were key factors in us determining to locate our first high volume manufacturing facility in Olive Branch,” said Rao Mulpuri, CEO of Soladigm.

Spanish glass-maker for solar plants to build $50 million US headquarters in Phoenix suburb: SURPRISE, Arizona. - A Spanish manufacturer of glass for commercial solar plants announced Wednesday that it will build a $50 million U.S. headquarters in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise.
Rioglass Solar said the 130,000-square-foot facility will employ more than 100 workers. An additional 130,000 square feet of manufacturing space is on the drawing board. The company makes curved glass sheets used in solar plant parabolic concentrators. It is a subsidiary of Rioglass Solar Holdings.

Construction of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts this week entered an important phase with the installation of the first of nearly 1,400 exterior glass panels. The glass will form the dramatic transparent canopy enclosing the southern face of the arts center and what will be its four-story-tall grand lobby. Each glass panel, fabricated in China, is affixed to a complex, intricately engineered network of masts and cables.



28 'gorgeous' windows given new life: As a teenager growing up in Germany, Paul Winter was given two career options: organ builder or stained-glass expert? "I really wanted to be a civil engineer building airplanes, but that wasn't possible in Germany in 1946," he said. "So I chose stained glass, because I thought there would be fewer costs than organs." More than 60 years later, Winter is still working at his colourful craft, using his talents to brighten up an Edmonton religious institution.
Winter, 80, is considered a master in stained glass, a job that requires the technical skills of a tradesperson and the vision of an artist. He trained for several years in Germany before moving to Edmonton in the late 1950s. Despite the fact his field has relatively few clients, he has maintained a busy career travelling all over the world designing, fixing and installing stained glass for virtually every Christian denomination.
"Sometimes you do one window, and sometimes the whole church," said Winter, who seemed destined for such a profession considering he was born in a church near Cologne and his father worked in one. "I don't think there is anybody else in Alberta right now who can do this kind of work."
The job is highly specialized and can also be dangerous. Winter remembers one project when a piece of falling glass sliced through his shoe and pinned his foot to the floor. "I couldn't move. I had to yell for help." His son, Andre, said there has been a fair amount of blood on the current seminary job. "These windows are one-inch thick. They're very heavy and very sharp, so there were a lot of cuts," Andre said. "I think Dad and I averaged about two to four Band-Aids per window."

1962 glass invention poised to become multi-billion dollar seller: In the 1960s, an ultra-strong glass was invented but it contained no purpose. Nearly a half a century later, Corning Inc. is expected to sell a multi-billion dollar product by installing the glass to face of touch-screen tablets and plasma televisions. Corning Incorporated is expected to rake in billions of dollars over the next little while a 1962 invention of an ultra-strong glass – Gorilla - is poised to be the face of touch-screen computers and plasma televisions

Window Cleaning News

Window washers still 'critical' after Orinda electrical accident: Two window washers severely injured in a weekend electrical accident in Orinda remained in critical condition Monday. Jose Herrera, 51, and Eduardo Guerra, 30, were working for Santa Clara-based Delta Window Cleaning when the accident occurred Saturday afternoon, a company spokesman said. A man who answered the phone at Delta said Herrera has worked there for 25 years. Guerra has worked for Delta for about a year, he said. The pair were cleaning windows outside an Orinda office building Saturday morning when their cherry picker ran into high-voltage transmission lines. The men suffered second- and third-degree burns over 75 percent of their bodies and were taken by helicopter to the burn unit at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, according to the Moraga-Orinda Fire Department. Both were reported in critical condition. No additional information was available.
A representative for state Division of Occupational Safety and Health said Monday that investigators are conducting interviews and gathering facts about the case. Orinda Assistant City Manager Monica Pacheco, Orinda police Chief Jeff Jennings and Moraga-Orinda fire Chief Randy Bradley met Monday morning to discuss the accident. Responding to criticism that emergency personnel did not arrive quickly enough, Jennings said personnel from both departments were on scene within minutes and that he and Bradley were very satisfied with the response to what Jennings called a chaotic situation. That situation was compounded by the fact that some bystanders ignored directions to stay away from the accident site, Jennings said. "That added quite a bit to the chaos, people basically getting into arguments with fire and police regarding their own safety," he said. Police and fire officials tentatively plan to meet Wednesday with witnesses to explain the departments' response and answer questions, Jennings said. Previous story.

Oil Odors: If You Smell It, Is It Toxic? Everywhere you go these days on the Gulf Coast, people are complaining about the smell of oil. Fishermen and other clean-up workers are noticing strong smells, and coastal residents from Venice, LA, to Pensacola, FL are complaining that when the wind is fairly still or when it blows from the South, they're suffering from the stench of oil. In some cases, people are telling us that when they smell the oil, they're feeling sick. The so-called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), tend to have a sweet-sour 'solvent' odor (think paint-thinner). The semivolatile compounds like naphthalene have an odor that's more like tar or creosote. Hydrogen sulfide gas has a characteristic 'rotten egg' odor. 2-butoxyethanol (a chemical in some of the dispersants) smells exactly like a household window cleaning product.

Window Washing: The four upper windows in my office extend about 12 feet up from the floor; so I’m not surprised when the window cleaner hauls a ladder in and climbs up to wash them. I leave for a few minutes, come back, and there’s a different cleaner washing the lower four windows. I ask one cleaner why they divide the labor, and he has no answer. Does having two workers raise the average product? It could if they take turns and share the tedium and danger, but I don’t see why, since the first worker told me that he always does the ladder work/high windows. Does just having a colleague reduce boredom and perhaps raise productivity? Perhaps they take turns driving the truck from place to place? Overall, a strange way of organizing production.

London Midland’s trains sparkle thanks to pioneering liquid glass technology: London Midland is using pioneering liquid glass technology to help its trains sparkle, while protecting the environment. A thin coating of liquid glass – 500 times thinner than a human hair – is being applied to trains at London Midland’s Tyseley depot in Birmingham to produce surfaces that are easier to clean and highly durable. The rail operator is the first train company in the UK to use the new technology, produced by Nanopool, which can be applied to most surfaces and lasts around one year per application. Engineering director, Mac Mackintosh, said: “It’s made a real impact and we’re impressed. The trains are noticeably brighter and easier to clean.”
The Nanopool coating has also lead to a dramatic reduction in the amount of water and cleaning chemicals used in train cleaning, benefitting the wider environment and making the trains both cleaner and greener. Nanopool’s UK Project Manager, Neil McClelland, said: “London Midland have managed the project in a highly professional and focussed manner. Their goal was to create a cleaning and maintenance system which was eco friendly, enhanced the appearance of the trains and was low cost. They should be applauded for being innovators in the field of train maintenance.” Previous link.


A window cleaner works on the facade of the headquarters of the savings bank Caja Guadalajara as they take a walk in Guadalajara, 60 kilometres north east of Madrid. The ultra modern 12th-floor board room of savings bank Caja Guadalajara offers a bird's eye view of the empty industrial estate around it, a constant reminder of Spain's worst economic crisis for 50 years. "We moved our headquarters in December from the town centre to these offices, thinking there would be faster expansion on the estate," said Ana Maria Liron, branch manager of the bank which manages 365 million euros ($443.4 million) of loans and deposits. "But there is a big slowdown here ... No one expected such a long, hard crisis."

FCTA Threatens to Revoke Non-Performing Cleaning Contracts: Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration will not hesitate to revoke the concession of any cleaning contractor engaged if found not to be performing. FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, who gave this threat on Tuesday during an interactive session with the Abuja Cleaning Contractors in his office, warned that it was not going to be business as usual. The minister warned that his administration will not condone laxity from any cleaning contractor anymore, however highly placed the sponsors of such companies are. Mohammed reiterated that the era when FCT administration had to intervene where there were large volumes of uncollected refuse was over, insisting that everybody must effectively do his or her part by being responsible. According to him, the FCT administration has been paying the contractors promptly and, therefore, expects that they reciprocate the same gesture by improving their services. The minister decried the pockets of overfilled bins noticed in the city and charged the contractors to discharge their duties with dispatch.

Q. How can I remove the adhesive left by old window film?
A. Gila Films, a leading manufacturer of window films, recommends a solution of eight ounces water, four ounces ammonia, and one teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap. Put the solution in a spray bottle. Gila also makes a ready-made solution. Protect the window sill and floor so no solution or adhesive can drip on it. Spray the adhesive thoroughly with the solution, and rub it in with an old towel until the adhesive turns milky white, then scrape off the adhesive with a razor-blade scraper (sold at paint stores) or single-edge razor blades. Keep the blade clean by wiping it frequently and replace it if it becomes dull. When all the old adhesive is soaked and scraped off, spray the window again and clean with a squeegee. Dispose of any towels used in the cleaning process. You can find detailed instructions for removing both old window film and adhesive at Gilafilms.

Court hears how attack left man paralysed: A man yesterday told a court he was left paralysed after he was attacked while walking home from a friend’s house. At the High Court in Glasgow Peter McInnes, 33, who gave his evidence from his wheelchair, said he was attacked by two men on May 22, 2009. John Freeman, 30, of Stanford Street, Glasgow, denies attempting to murder Mr McInnes by stabbing him. Mr McInnes denied shouting a sectarian remark prior to the incident and maintained that the attack was unprovoked. The 33-year-old, of Tollcross, said he was trying to get home when he heard shouting from a nearby house. He ignored the shouts and kept walking until he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see a man trying to hit him with a Buckfast bottle. He said: "There was a boy with a Buckfast bottle trying to hit me with it, I was ducking and weaving. He tried to kick me too." He claimed he was stabbed by a second man. "Then I got a sharp feeling in my back and I was out the game." The former window cleaner added that when he came round he saw a knife being pulled from his chest and two men and a girl running way. He was unable to identify his attackers. The court heard he sustained seven stab wounds to his shoulders, back and chest and was left paralysed from the waist down. He spent three months in rehabilitation in the Southern General. Mr McInnes said: "My spine was damaged by the first wound. I am not going to walk again." The trial before temporary judge Norman Ritchie QC continues.

Magpies superfan meets Fairs Cup heroes: It was Toontastic for lifelong Magpie fan Frank Patterson when he had fish and chips with his Fairs Cup heroes. The plucky pensioner said it was one of the best moments in his life when he went to North Shields Fish Quay to eat the Geordie delicacy with two of the star footballers who helped Newcastle United win the Fairs Cup in 1969. the 82-year-old has renewed his season ticket every year for more than half a century and listed Newcastle’s 1969 Fairs Cup triumph over Hungarian side Ujpest Dozsa among his fondest memories. Today Frank, a retired window cleaner, originally from Byker but now living in Forest Hall, said: “It was a lifetime ambition to meet the men I have watched so many times before at St James’ Park and I have finally done it. “And not only that, I have had fish and chips with them as well.

Dutch Muslims fear impact of far-right vote: Netherlands : Muslims reeling from an apparent surge of anti-Islam sentiment fear next week's Dutch election will fuel mutual suspicion and pit neighbour against neighbour. It was in here in Almere, where a third of the population is of immigrant origin, that Geert Wilders (pictured) led his far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) to its first local election victory in March. PVV supporters, in turn, say the government has let them down. "I will vote for Wilders because he stands for freedom," Brian van Rooyen, a 25-year-old window cleaner, told AFP. "The current government is allowing so many foreigners into our country who get everything for nothing. They get housing while we have to work for it."

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Installation of the first of 11,000 glass panels that will form the facade of London Bridge's Shard of Glass skyscraper started this week. The panels, which in total will cover an area of more than 56,000 sq m, are made of a low iron glass with internal blinds. Already 2,500 of the panels have been manufactured and are awaiting delivery to site. On arrival the panels will be erected from the internal floors thereby eliminating any hazards that could come from an external erection method. The target is to install a floor a week.

Dragon-backed business cleans up with contracts: A NE industrial cleaning business, which secured the backing of TV Dragon Duncan Bannatyne, has secured £2.1m worth of contracts in the past month. The contracts for UK Commercial Cleaning Services (UKCC) are based around the country in the private healthcare, retail and business sectors. It is the latest success for the firm, which last August won £100,000 backing on BBC TV’s Dragon’s Den. Tony Earnshaw, 26, from Washington, Wearside, established the business with £300 when he was 19, boosting the earnings from a local window cleaning round to £6,000 a-month. He then expanded to become a full commercial cleaning company with about 30 staff based in Washington and Leeds depots. He had already grown it into a £1.5m-turnover business prior to yesterday’s announcement of the new contracts, individual details of which cannot be released for commercial reasons. There are now plans to expand the business further with the opening of a London depot.
Mr Earnshaw said: “My aim is to position the business as a nationally-regarded contender on the commercial cleaning stage and these contract wins are helping us to do that. “Our motivated and energetic workforce has worked hard to ensure that we can fulfil these contracts and continue to win more throughout this year. “The North-East needs more private business successes and my team have proved we can do it. We now want UKCC to be a flagship business for the area and the beyond.” Television viewers last year saw Darlington-based businessman Duncan Bannatyne buy a 35 per cent stake in the firm for £100,000. Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength. Last October, it won a contract to provide its services to care homes run by Four Seasons Healthcare, from Birmingham to the Scottish borders. It has also secured a number of other contracts, including Michelin- starred The White Room at Seaham Hall, County Durham. Earlier this year, Mr Earnshaw announced plans to franchise the business, with ambitions to deliver services to Scotland, Wales, the South of England, and Ireland.

Window Cleaning News

Fall from height warning given by former window cleaner: A former West Midlands window cleaner who broke his hip and wrist when he fell from a ladder has added his weight to the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) efforts to eliminate workplace injuries. Ken Bradley, 63, was cleaning the windows of a house in Dudley in July 2006 when the ladder slipped and he fell. "I felt the ladder slip from under me and I grabbed a window to try and stop myself from falling. But I couldn’t reach. I don’t really remember much after that until I woke up in hospital but I do know I was lucky to escape with the injuries I got," he said. Brian Martin, HSE inspector, said that Mr Bradley's accident shows that any fall from height can have devastating consequences. The HSE recently re-launched its slips, trips and falls campaign, which aims to make people aware of the risks of working at height, among other workplace dangers.

Police in the Driffield area are urging possible victims to come forward after police arrested a man for fraud by false representation. Police have arrested a 27-year-old Driffield man in connection with a number of alleged offences. It is alleged a man knocked on several doors in the Driffield area on Thursday 04 February between 1545hrs and 1630hrs, claiming to be the residents' window cleaner and asking for payment. It is alleged some home owners paid the man a sum of money, whilst others became suspicious and refused to pay the man. The 27-year-old man has been released on police bail, pending further enquiries, until a date in February. PC Simon Marshall said: "We have had many victims coming forward with regards to a man alleging to be their window cleaner.

Missing man found: A 33 year old man who had been missing for two weeks has been found safe and well. Police appealed for help in tracing window cleaner Alexander Wileman after he went missing from his home in Albermarle Drive, Wantage, on Wednesday, February 3. Police spokesman Daniel Donovan said Mr Wileman was found safe and well at Victoria Station in London at about 11am today. He is currently being driven to an Oxfordshire police station. Members of the public were thanked for their assistance in trying to find Mr Wileman.

Frost-bound building firms get cash help: Building groups, gardening companies and window washing firms can claim government help to pay workers who have been left without anything to do because of the long period of frost. Social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner has agreed that companies which have been affected by the wintry weather can apply for temporary unemployment benefit (ww) for staff for February and March. Some 400 claims have already been made and thousands are expected, the Financieele Dagblad reports.

Bus riders now shivering on the curb at Fifth Avenue and State Street in downtown La Crosse could have been using a heated transit center blocks away — had its construction gone as planned. But passengers and city officials who’ve waited more than 15 years for the transit center will wait at least another eight months. The Grand River Station, bid for about $21.6 million, is about eight months behind schedule and $2 million over budget, though still within the contingencies for the project. The project has had 24 change orders to date, some small — such as $2,000 for sprinkler revisions or an additional fire valve hose — and some pricier, such as $109,000 to install window washing equipment. Many of those, Hutchens said, are the result of incomplete architectural information from the start.

A Turkish investor has brought the basic ‘Roomba’ model of US company iRobot to the market, selling 500 units in only 45 days. Ali Tan Şerbetçi says the company plans to sell its products in the Middle East through Turkey. iRobot, a United States-based company with a 75 percent market share in the global home robots market, has entered Turkey with its “Roomba” model. The robot, reminiscent of a Frisbee, has a diameter of 30 centimeters and a height of eight centimeters. The robot is able to calculate the layout of a given area and clean it without human intervention. The 'Roomba' reminiscent of a Frisbee, has a diameter of 30 centimeters and a height of eight centimeters. The “Scooba” model, which uses water and detergent, will be on the Turkish market in April and will sell for 1,200 liras. “Scooba was designed for working couples, families with children, those who have pets, elderly people and the disabled,” Şerbetçi said. “It brushes and washes an area of 80 square meters and completes its cleaning without touching carpets and the like.” After Scooba, the company plans to introduce window cleaning and security robots to the market.

Ultra-thin glass coating for buildings on the way to UK: German company says new product is green and suitable for almost any surface. An ultra-thin coating is being promoted as the next big thing for protecting the surfaces of everything from hospital equipment to buildings. Called Liquid Glass, the flexible and breathable glass coating is being marketed by its German maker Nanopool as a coating for wood, stone, fibre, plastic and glass and ceramics.
The coating is approximately 100 nanometres thick (500 times thinner than a human hair), and according to the manufacturer it is food safe, environmentally friendly and can be applied to almost any surface. The coating leaves surfaces easy to clean and anti-microbially protected. Neil McClelland, UK project manager for Nanopool explained some of the principles behind the product, saying, "In essence, we extract molecules of SiO2 [silicon dioxide] (the primary constituent of glass) from quartz sand, and then we add the molecules to water or ethanol." Liquid Glass is on the market in Germany and will soon be available in the UK. It has already been trialled for the protection of monuments in Turkey, including the Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara.

A plane crashed into a Northwest Austin building that houses federal offices about 10 this morning, injuring several people and sparking a fire that sent plumes of smoke into the air that could be seen for miles. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the crash, at the Echelon 1 building in the 9400 block of Research Boulevard, was “apparently a criminal act.” Austin Fire Department Division Chief Dawn Clopton said that the FBI would be taking over the investigation. Joe Williams, co-founder of the company, and Cynthia Reed, her boss, ran to a nearby truck with window washing equipment and ladders. “By some miracle there was a truck that was for cleaning windows and there were ladders,” Olivarez said. “They were putting ladders up against the building trying to get people out,” Olivarez said. “It looked as if they couldn’t get out, like both the floors were on fire. There was smoke protruding out of all the windows. It probably took about four minutes for the entire parking lot to be filled with smoke.”
They began to get out people until fire trucks showed up with their own ladders, she said.

Window Cleaner Knew: A second long-running business in Birmingham’s Brindleyplace has been refused a lease renewal amid claims the landlord could damage the long-term success of the district. Spiritual health shop Zen is the latest tenant to be turned down by the British Airways Pension Fund after hair salon Umberto Giannini was told it too would have to leave. They claimed they were the last to know and even a local window cleaner was aware plans were afoot to “kick all the smaller people out”.

In celebration of Black History Month, University of Rhode Island students and faculty attended the Black Inventors Exhibit on Tuesday, to pay tribute to and learn about the famous inventions of lesser-known black inventors. The exhibit showed that without black inventors, we would live in a world without traffic lights, mops and golf tees. Sandra Lamb, co-founder of the organization, said some of the tools featured, particularly the early technology, are from Africa, which she bought from a flea market in Massachusetts. The exhibit also displayed simple inventions like a window cleaner and a lemon squeezer.

For Mayor: Don Marsh: I'm Don Marsh, and my wife and I have been married for 32 years and raised both our children here. I am the owner of Marsh Window Cleaning, and I've spent the last 29 years serving the private sector in a position where what matters are positive results that can be seen with the naked eye. This is the kind of bottom-line-driven governing and transparency that I will bring to City Hall.

Giuliani also spoke about 9/11, said youth council member Garrett Weeks, and told the audience it was a day where a lot of people showed their leadership skills. One example he cited was an event that took place on an elevator in the World Trade Center. The power went out after one of the hijacked planes slammed into Tower One, Giuliani said. This caused the elevators to stop working. Six men were on one of the elevators. Most of them were executives with the exception of window-washer Jan Demczur carrying his bucket and a squeegee. As the men were trying to figure out how to get out of the elevator, Demczur realized they could use the pole on his squeegee to pry open the door so he directed the men in helping him. The elevator opened to a thick wall. Demczur took the lead again and took the sharp edge of his squeegee handle to scrape away the wall. After digging through three layers of drywall they were able to free themselves from the elevator. Demczur is not only considered a hero, but a leader as well.