The Window Cleaners Socks + Orinda Electric Fine

33,000-volt jolt: Staten Islander's incredible story of survival: STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - As he lay on the ground, feet smoldering, boots singed, holes burned through his white cotton socks, the first thought that went through Nick Genovese’s head was "Don’t die." Some 33,000 volts of electricity had just surged through the Oakwood window washer’s body, after the 40-foot metal washing pole he was holding with his partner made contact with power lines outside an office building in Lynbrook, L.I. "The wind caught it and we seemed to lose a little balance," Genovese said. "I felt the electric shock going through me." "I felt like I was getting fried," added Genovese, 58, the father of two teenage daughters. "The jolt knocked me to the ground. I felt my hands and my feet starting to burn." He never lost consciousness, he said, and he was aware of his surroundings the whole time. It was like something out of a cartoon, he said, his body shaking like the animated characters Tom and Jerry when their tails got stuck in a socket. "It went in my hands and out my feet," Genovese said. "The electricity came out my socks and boots."
His partner, Alan Weinberg, 64, was holding tighter to the pole and was critically injured. Weinberg "passed away at the scene," according to Genovese. It took 20 minutes for emergency responders to revive Weinberg, and he remains hospitalized. Genovese suffered-third degree burns of his feet and between his thumbs and index fingers, where he had grasped the pole with his hands, which were covered with insulated rubber gloves. "His feet actually went on fire in the boots," said his wife, Joann Genovese. After the accident, Genovese called his wife from his bed in Nassau County Medical Center’s East Meadow Burn Unit. "I have a problem," he said over the phone. Her thoughts automatically ran to car crash, she said. "I got electrocuted," he told her. "You got what?!" she responded in disbelief.
Curious to learn just how lucky he’d been to survive such a shock, Genovese did some research on the Internet. "I survived 11 times the voltage of the electric chair," he said, after his search showed a typical chair carries about 3,000 volts. Genovese said he has been told he’s not out of the woods yet and will have to be checked out by a neurologist, cardiologist and ophthalmologist to make sure the electricity didn’t cause any internal damage. Now under the care of Dr. Michael Cooper at Staten Island University Hospital’s burn unit, Genovese is expected to learn today if he’ll need skin-graft surgery, or be left to heal on his own.
In the window-washing business for 41 years, Genovese works for the New York Racing Association, and was working with Weinberg as a side job to make extra money for Christmas. Despite his ordeal, he’s going right back to work when he recovers, he said. Genovese was never particularly religious, he said, but he told a news reporter that after he has recovered, "I’m going back to church." A nun in the hospital who had read his quote in an article about his ordeal approached him and said, "I hope you keep your word. He’s watching you up there." "I know I’m blessed in more ways than one," Genovese said. "I’ve got good friends, a great family, a loving wife and two beautiful children. I’m just looking to heal and get better." When he was discharged last week, a nurse told him, "Go home and evaluate your life, because you are here for a purpose." "I don’t know what my purpose is yet," he said, reflecting on the accident from the comfort of his living room recliner. "I’m just blessed, and happy to be alive and to be home." Last Blog on this story here.

Santa Clara company fined over Orinda window cleaning accident: A Santa Clara-based window washing company has been fined $17,550 after an Orinda electrical accident that injured two of their employees, one fatally. The state Department of Occupational Safety and Health issued three citations Friday against the Delta Window Cleaning Company stemming from the June 5 accident. Jose Herrera and Eduardo Guerra were severely burned when the bucket of their cherry picker came into contact with high-voltage transmission lines over downtown Orinda. Herrera died of his injuries nearly three weeks later. The most serious citation says Herrera and Guerra came within one foot of the power lines despite regulations mandating they be at least 13 feet away. See the story that broke here.

Window Cleaners Rattled By Canadian Earthquake - R.I.P. Jose Herrera

Quake in Ottawa, Canada — Books and bottles rattled off shelves; bricks came loose from some buildings; downtown highrises were evacuated; and several Ottawa schools were examined for structural concerns. But other than some limited property damage — and a few minor injuries — Ottawa escaped relatively unscathed Wednesday from what scientists describe as a “moderate” earthquake, centred in nearby Val-des-Bois, Que. The quake did unnerve the nation’s capital and could be felt across much of eastern North America, from Montreal to Chicago, Illinois. The quake struck at 1:41 p.m. with a magnitude of 5.0 and lasted between 20 and 30 seconds, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It was centred an estimated 20 kilometres underground. Dan Galipeau, who owns a window cleaning company in Ottawa, said his workers were on a scaffold at the Lester B. Pearson Building on Sussex Drive when the quake hit. “My guys, they freaked,” Galipeau said. “They stopped cleaning immediately, went down, and called me.”
Window washers Steve Moore and Jon Martin were hanging outside an office building in downtown Kitchener, but somehow didn’t feel a thing when the ground shook 10 storeys below their suspended platform. “We’re on cables, so we’re always moving up there anyway,” Moore said after obliviously finishing the job and getting his feet back on firm ground about half an hour later. “If I felt an earthquake, I would have been the first person down,” Martin said. “Those are grounds for going home, right?” The partners had a birds-eye view as area buildings emptied out, but figured there must have been a fire or some other mishap.
Once here on Prince of Wales Drive, the 27-floor Château Royale was swaying from side to side and many people were seen carrying elderly people down the stairs. Once outside, we realized that the whole city was being affected as we could hear sirens everywhere. An interesting sight to see was the window-washing crew suspended in the air holding on for dear life 15 storeys in the air across the street.
John Carone was in his home office, on Courtland Drive. He could feel a shudder under his desk. Then his chair moved. "I got up, and I thought, 'I'm nuts,'" said Carone, an accountant. He looked outside. His wife, Robin, was standing on a chair, washing a window. "I'm watching her, and I'm still feeling this shake," he said. "I thought, 'Wow, she's pretty strong.'" The tremors probably wobbled off a fault line that runs under Lake Erie, said Scott McKenzie, a geology instructor at Mercyhurst College. He felt them at his home in Millcreek Township.

Man injured in Orinda electrical accident dies: SAN JOSE — One of the two men severely injured in an electrical accident in Orinda this month has died, Santa Clara County officials said. Jose Herrera, 51, died early Wednesday morning at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, according to Santa Clara County Public Health Department spokeswoman Joy Alexiou. Information regarding the cause of death was not released because of privacy reasons. Members of Herrera's family have declined interview requests. The condition of the other man injured in the accident, Eduardo Guerra, 30, has improved from critical to serious, Alexiou said. Herrera and Guerra suffered second- and third-degree burns over most of their bodies when their cherry picker came into contact with high-voltage electrical lines the morning of June 5. An employee of Santa Clara-based Delta Window Cleaning, for which the two men worked, said Herrera had been employed there for 25 years. Window Cleaners Electrocuted in California.

Aqua-Dapter: Water Fed Pole Control - Following on from the previous blog on Steve Jones's "Aqua-Dapter." Please check out the new website that has been greatly improved from the old one including a 3D view of the new producct & mechanism. The "Aqua-dapter" is fitted to the top section of your pole, and connected to your brush. The control mechanism is operated from the handle, by pulling the hose to switch the water flow on and off. The tap can also be turned manually if you are working on ground level windows.

Take Your Dog to Work Day: Take Your Dog to Work Day simple Dos and Don’ts:
DO: - Bring a leash, a pillow, a water dish, food and all other amenities your dog may need throughout the day. Walk him often. No one scores big office points for a dog that pees, or worse, on corporate carpet. Make sure your job is OK with it in advance. Some coworkers may be allergic, highly fearful or the company, if it’s incredibly draconian, may not even allow dogs in the workplace at all. These are the same types of companies that may not allow your own bathroom breaks or maternity leave. Clean up any messes immediately, preferably not using your coworker’s favorite scarf.
DON’T: - Make everyone pet your dog. Yes, we know, he’s rightly the center of your world, but, alas, not everyone in that world out there happens to be an animal lover. Leave him unattended. This is a tough one, but a necessary one. Even the sweetest of pooches can act up when the proverbial mouse is away. Bring him to a job that is just dumb to bring a dog to. This includes window washing, restaurant kitchen work and along for the ride if you happen to specialize in roadkill pickup. Also know your dog and warn others of some of your pooch’s quirky behavior.

New lead paint rules cut risks - at a cost. Houses built before 1978 could contain the toxic metal - The Foxcroft two-story home looks like a scene from a sci-fi thriller: Yellow tape blocks the entryway, onlookers are warned away by a big "CAUTION" sign at the walk, and worker wearing what looks like a white hazmat suit plus mask pushes through two layers of plastic screening to get inside. Alien germs? A crime scene? Try replacement windows.
The plastic-swathed south Charlotte house is a glimpse into the future of some renovations to older homes. Workers who renovate homes built before 1978 now must be certified in how to contain the paint containing lead, a toxic metal. For the Foxcroft renovation, Dgien estimates the new rules added about 15 percent, to cover materials, labor and cleanup. On smaller jobs, the extra steps may not add as much. John Marino, owner of Window World and Siding and Carolina Cabinet Refacing, said the new rules are adding maybe $100 to $150 to his jobs for extra time. Responsible contractors, he said, are going to talk to customers in older homes and not give in to pressure to cut corners. "If they say 'Listen, I don't care about the lead test, we're going to look the other way,' we're going to test anyway," he said.
Rick Bainbridge, CEO of Bainbridge Crew in Charlotte, said the rules will likely add 10 to 15 percent to the cost of the home renovations his company does. Customers may balk, he acknowledged. "They have to realize the costs are part of the law," Bainbridge said. Homeowners need to avoid the temptation to go cheap, he said. "Right now you've got everybody in the remodeling business that's jumped in it, from custom builders to commercial contractors.... Every consumer, when they're having work done, should look to see if that contractor is a certified lead renovator. If not, run for the hills." See previous content here.


You can’t be afraid of heights if you’re part of San Diego fire’s Heavy Rescue 4. Sometimes nicknamed the SWAT team of firefighters, this is the crew that is called when window washers are stranded on the side of skyscrapers. While that has happened only four times in the past two years, the unit trains much more frequently, as members did Tuesday alongside a crew of Chula Vista firefighters. With a “Good luck, buddy!” shouted his way, San Diego firefighter Oscar Rodriguez rappelled down the side of downtown’s 480-foot Vantage Pointe condominium tower to a window-washer box.

Here's a view of Trump International Hotel & Tower that I bet you've never seen--unless you happen to be a helicopter pilot. Nevertheless, this aerial perspective nicely shows off the skyscraper's taut, elegantly-detailed curtain wall. And it's fun to peer down on Trump's outdoor terraces and their tiny swaths of shrubbrery. Oh yes-we also see the racetrack-like circuit for the skyscraper's clunky-looking, window-washing contraption. Reminds me of an oil well-except, of course, it's more than 1,000 feet above the sidewalks of Chicago.

“My best assignments are when no one can get in somewhere and the public needs to know,” says longtime photographer George Gongora, who is pictured rooftop at the Caller-Times this week and in a 1968 portrait at left. Gongora retires today after four decades with the newspaper. George Gongora climbed trees, crossed police lines and even dangled from the top of a high-rise building to capture images. It was all part of a relentless commitment to tell the story of his community. Gongora retires Thursday after nearly 44 years as a Caller-Times staff photographer. One Saturday when the two were working Gongora was sent to find a candid photograph around town for the next day’s paper. Hours later Gongora returned. He went straight to the dark room, developed a print and then handed it to Jimenez for review. The photo was of a window washer working on the side of a tall building. It was not taken from the ground. Jimenez asked Gongora how he got it. Gongora told him he took the elevator to the top where he convinced a maintenance worker to tie a rope around his waist and lower him two stories so he could get a photo. “I told him whatever you do, don’t do that again,” Jimenez said. “I was just astounded.”

Manitoba, Canada - Culex Tarsalis mosquitos are hatching across the Central Plains but the question is how many, and do they carry the West Nile virus. Dr. Tim Hilderman, Medical Officer with Manitoba Health, says no one knows for sure. He does note there's been a variation in numbers since 2003, when the first case of West Nile was diagnosed in Manitoba. Although precipitation plays a role, Hilderman says it's temperature that's the big determinant. He notes where there's heat, there's most likely Culex Tarsalis Mosquitoes. Every Manitoban can reduce their risk of infection by limiting time spent outdoors during the peak biting hours of dusk and dawn, using repellent, wearing light coloured loose fitting clothing, and making sure door and window screens fit properly, and are free of holes. Apart from decreasing your risk of being bitten, you can also make it less hospitable for mosquitoes in and around your home. This includes reducing standing water, cleaning eaves troughs, emptying bird baths, pool covers, barbeque pits, and covering rain barrels, and old tires. So far, Hilderman says only a small amount of Culex Tarsalis mosquitoes have emerged in the province. Most importantly, he adds none of the mosquito pools collected have tested positive for West Nile.

Water Fed Polers be aware: The North West of England faces a possible hosepipe ban to conserve water supplies in the face of a drought. Water company United Utilities will seek permission from the Environment Agency on Friday to draw more water from lakes and rivers. Following the driest start to the year in the region since 1929, many reservoirs have fallen to below half their capacity. A radio and newspaper campaign to use water wisely has been running throughout the region since last week. "It's been an unprecedented period of dry weather since December 2009, and we need to take action now so we can tap into available water resources if the dry weather continues," said John Sanders, United Utilities' Water Regulation and Strategy Manager. "We're monitoring the situation day by day but if we don't have any significant rainfall by the end of this month we will need a hosepipe ban to help conserve essential supplies," he added.
Last month, rainfall was just 38 percent of the long term average for the region. Haweswater reservoir in Cumbria has fallen to 61 percent capacity, nearly 20 percent below normal for this time of year. The firm will ask to increase the amount of water taken from Ennerdale reservoir in the Lake District to supply the Whitehaven area of West Cumbria. The possibility of more applications to take more water from both the Windermere and Longdendale Valley reservoirs is being discussed. Trevor Bishop, Head of Water Resources at the Environment Agency, said: "We are working closely with United Utilities to make sure they are doing everything they can to secure water supplies, manage customer demand and tackle leakage."

Southwall Technologies Inc., the worldwide innovator of high performance, energy-saving films and glass products, has been awarded a $1.43 million stimulus grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop advanced technologies aimed at making homes and buildings more energy efficient. Southwall will use the funding to accelerate development of higher performance and lower cost Heat Mirror low-emissivity and solar-reflective films and multi-cavity, suspended-film insulating glass technology to enable the broad commercialization of "super-insulating" R-10 windows.
According to DOE, the nation's 114 million homes and 74 million square feet of commercial floor space account for 40 percent of US total energy consumption and 39 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions. Because windows are the energy-efficiency weak link in homes and buildings, DOE is focusing grant funding on the development of innovative technologies that can create energy-saving windows that insulate like walls.
"The designation of Southwall as a DOE grant recipient recognizes our leadership in developing lightweight, multi-cavity insulating glass technology that promises to drive the performance of a new generation of cost-effective and energy-efficient windows," said Dennis Capovilla, Southwall chief executive officer. "We are pleased that DOE is working closely with industry to accelerate disruptive technology innovation that can dramatically reduce our nation's energy use." Southwall is one of seven California-based companies, including National Semiconductor and Applied Materials, to receive a coveted DOE grant for advanced energy-efficient building technology projects.

Day in Pictures, June 23: A reflection of a highrise is cast under a window washer Wednesday, June 23, 2010, in downtown Cleveland.

Suspended Jail Sentence For Fiddling Window Cleaner + Other News

Former Carlisle window cleaner fiddled £44,000 benefits: A former Carlisle window cleaner who falsely claimed nearly £45,000 in benefits was spared jail. Stephen Nicholson (pictured), 58, of Linden Terrace, Harraby, was handed a 36-week suspended jail sentence after admitting two counts of making false statements to the Department of Work and Pensions. Carlisle Crown Court heard Nicholson had up to £40,000 in the bank and in pensions at one stage while he was claiming the benefits cash. Prosecutor Kim Whittlestone told the court that between 2002 and 2008, Nicholson claimed £21,409 in income support. He also claimed £18,445 in housing benefit and £4,163 in council tax benefit from 2004.
But the cash hoard and pensions Nicholson had failed to reveal on his benefits application forms came to light in 2008. The court also heard that at the time of making the claims Nicholson suffered from health issues including obsessive compulsive disorder. Defending, Erinnaz Mushtaq said: “Given his age and lack of convictions, this defendant is unlikely to trouble the courts again. “These proceedings have had a profound effect on him. “It has been a punishment in itself.”
Nicholson has already paid back around £25,000 of the benefits cash. The judge, recorder Kevin Talbot, said in sentencing: “You failed to declare that you were in possession of savings over the prescribed limit. At one point, your total savings amounted to something in the order of £40,000. “Ordinarily for benefits frauds on the scale to which I have referred and over the sort of period I have referred...there should follow an immediate significant custodial sentence. But Mr Talbot said that Nicholson’s guilty plea, lack of previous convictions and mitigating health issues had been taken into consideration. “Your offence is so serious that neither a fine nor community sentence can be justified,” he added. Nicholson was handed the jail term which was suspended for 12 months. He is due to face confiscation proceedings at Carlisle Crown Court on August 20.

Orinda - Fire district report: Live power lines near two critically burned men trapped on a cherry picker this month delayed their rescue, Moraga-Orinda Fire District officials said this week. "The incident had an extended and difficult rescue due to the seriousness of electrical emergencies and the potential for additional injuries or death," said a fire district report released Tuesday night. The rescue crew needed more than 30 minutes to pull the injured men from the cherry picker, which had touched a high-power line, according to the report. Some witnesses said that police and fire departments responded too slowly to the June 5 accident. The firefighters' actions were appropriate given the situation, the fire district chief said Wednesday.
"I understand (witnesses') frustration with how long it took," Chief Randy Bradley said. "Time slows down in emergencies and seconds feel like minutes, so I understand that. But again, from an emergency responder's perspective, we did it the right way." Jose Herrera, 51, and Eduardo Guerra, 30, were washing windows June 5 at the Vintage office building at 25 Orinda Way when their cherry picker touched the power lines. The resulting electrical shock severely burned both men, who are employees of a Santa Clara window cleaning company. They were taken by aircraft to a San Jose burn unit, where they remained in critical condition Wednesday.
Bradley said that several challenges delayed the rescue, including the need for PG&E clearance before raising a ladder near the power lines. Firefighters were right to make the area safe for themselves and bystanders before rescuing the men, he said. According to the report, firefighters arrived at the building at 9:55 a.m., six minutes after receiving a 911 call. The department's ladder truck, seven miles away in Moraga, was summoned at 9:53 and arrived on scene at 10:05, the report said. PG&E's approval came at 10:25 a.m., according to the report. The men were pulled from the cherry picker four minutes later.
Another problem was that firefighters usually at a station 500 feet from the accident instead were a quarter-mile away at a training exercise. Disconnecting equipment and driving around road closures for the weekly farmers market slowed them, Bradley said. The first police officer arrived at 9:53 a.m., according to Orinda police Chief Jeff Jennings. Police officers' primary duty was crowd and traffic control, he said. Police, firefighters and others tried unsuccessfully to use the cherry picker's controls to bring the basket down. Fire officials also were unable to contact the equipment maker for instructions on lowering the basket manually.
Herrera's and Guerra's families declined request for interviews. The state division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the accident. An OSHA spokeswoman said such investigations typically take three to four months to complete. One person who saw the accident remained skeptical Wednesday. The fire department's timeline is off by about 15 minutes, said witness Russell Abraham, who was in the Rite Aid parking lot. "I was looking at my watch, saying, 'What the hell is taking these guys so long?' " he said. "That's why people were so angry. It was at least 15 minutes, if not 20, before somebody showed up." Full breaking news story here.


A window cleaner works at Rosenblatt Stadium, in Omaha, Neb. This year's College World Series, starting Saturday, June 19th, will be the last one played at Rosenblatt Stadium. Every year since 1950, the Division I championship has culminated with the College World Series at the ballpark atop a hill in Omaha, Neb. Come Saturday, the series will begin its last run at Rosenblatt before moving to a new downtown stadium in 2011.

Businesses in Toronto are poised to profit from the G20 summit as controversy looms over its hefty price tag. Simon Tucker, who has been sent to Toronto from Sarnia, Ont., to help the city prepare for the G20, said money spent on the summit is helping his business, as well as Toronto companies. The cost of hosting the G8 and G20 summits this month in Ontario has exceeded $1 billion. Tucker, who works for Sharp Solutions, has been in Toronto with a crew since May installing a shatterproof protective film on the glass of some downtown Toronto buildings. It's a security measure in case there are violnt protests. "If there is a bomb or a Molotov cocktail thrown at the glass, all the glass stays in place [and] there are no flying shards," he said. "In explosions that's what actually injures people - the flying glass." Tucker said he expects the two months of G20-related work will double or possibly triple his company's bottom line this year. The G20 summit is scheduled for June 26 and 27 at Toronto's Metro Convention Centre.

Despite the cumbersome process, local businesses do have chances to gain lucrative government contracts with the help of the Colorado Procurement Technical Assistance Center. Governments at all levels buy almost any kind of product or service a company offers -- even a small business, said PTAC Director Tom Elam during a workshop on how to access government contracts at Morgan Community College on Tuesday afternoon. "They buy everything," he said. Ads for government contracts go out with 14 to 20 requests for bids every day, said Pam Shaddock, regional director for Sen. Mark Udall, whose office helped bring the workshop to Morgan County. These requests are for both products and services, from paper and furniture to window cleaning.

Big plans for little unit: Dunedin-based Farra Engineering has forged a niche export market in manufacturing large high-rise building maintenance units (BMU's) during the past 20 years, but has just built a world-first with a light-weight, mobile unit. During the past 20 years Farra has generated tens of millions of dollars in export receipts manufacturing more than 50 building maintenance units, some weighing up to 50 tonnes each and worth more than $1 million apiece.
The standard units run on roof-top rails across some of the world's tallest high-rises, giving access from the cages slung hundreds of metres below for window and facade maintenance and cleaning. The latest Farra BMU, worth $300,000, weighs two tonnes and has a 250kg payload, but can be dismantled and shifted around in hotel lifts and through doorways; to reach inaccessible areas up to 150m below the BMU.
Farra Engineering manager of engineering and design division, Marc Murray, said about 18 months of research and development had gone into the mobile BMU, and said its portability was unique and it was the smallest known unit of its kind in the world. He envisaged multiple uses for buyers, especially in the Asian market and cities with many high rises. "It can be broken down; with the 1 tonne counterweight and 1 tonne machine able to be taken through doors and put in lifts," he said. The architecture of some new high rises meant a standard BMU could not be installed.
He said Hong Kong was a good example of where the portable unit could be used toward the end of construction time, as without the 1 tonne cage its pay-load hanging directly off the wire ropes would increase from 250kg to 400kg; such as window frames, for glass installation or the delivery of building materials or fittings, in lieu of a lift from a tower crane. Farra, which received its first order for the new unitafter beginning research and development, is now concentrating on marketing the mobile BMU in Hong Kong and further afield around Asia. The mobile BMU would take three staff about four months to build, and while the first unit was priced at $300,000, this figure would be expected to drop as more orders were received, Mr Murray said. The company is presently working on building two of the larger "standard" BMUs, destined for Auckland and Brisbane, the latter being a 20-tonne model.

Law still ignored on workers' heat breaks: Workers toiling under the afternoon sun were a rare sight during yesterday’s first compulsory two-and-a-half hour midday break, but not as rare as the Ministry of Labour might have hoped for. The break, introduced to shelter and cool workers from peak temperatures between 12.30pm and 3pm for the next three months, put most contractors on guard to keep their employees indoors and rested. During break hours, dozens of work areas in the capital and Dubai were left with empty window-washing gondolas and vacant construction sites. Near the capital’s Central Souq around noon, streams of gardeners and scaffolding workers crossed roads to board buses back to their accommodations. Narindar Singh, 52, from India, said his team had been working since 7am. They had not been informed about their rights, which are that their employers must provide them well-ventilated shelter for rest during the specified time every day until September 15. Steven Van der Vyver, the health and safety manager for Dutco Balfour Beatty, said at other sites workers were given airconditioned rooms and mattresses to lie on.

Men admit manslaughter over street attack in 2000: Two men who attacked a man and left him in a pool of blood in a Guildford street almost 10 years ago have admitted manslaughter. Stephen Puttock and Barry Stretch set upon Keith Nicholson after they had been thrown out of a bar on September 17, 2000. The 62-year-old retired builder, of South Road in Guildford, then suffered a heart attack and died in hospital. Puttock, 29, and Stretch, 35, were arrested five years later and sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murder in 2007. But the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial and window cleaner Puttock and jobless Stretch walked free last year after the jury was unable to reach a verdict. They had been in jail for 1,083 days.

A man who police said twice tried to lure a 13-year-old into his pickup Monday in Titusville told investigators that he was in the neighborhood to have "safe sex" with a prostitute. The police responded and stopped Harper's Nissan at South Street and Deleon Avenue, two blocks from where the girl was first lured. Harper gave officers consent to enter his vehicle. Inside, they found three folded pocketknives, rope and black latex gloves. Harper said he needs the equipment for his window-cleaning business but would not offer further explanation as to how the items are used, Edens wrote in her report.

An MP who is axing several of his constituency staff has blamed tighter new parliamentary allowances for the cuts. Rob Flello, who represents Stoke-on-Trent South, will make three workers at his Meir constituency office redundant later this month. They include the deputy leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council's Labour group, Councillor Tom Reynolds, and Jane Heggie, who has been the MP's political assistant for the past five years. Mr Flello, pictured, told The Sentinel he "bitterly" regrets having to lose his employees. But he said he was placed in an "impossible" position by restrictions on MPs' staffing budgets. After this month, his constituency office staff will be cut from four to three, as he is taking on two new employees. All MPs currently receive staffing allowances of £109,548 in addition to their basic £64,766 annual salaries."We even have to pay things like window cleaning costs out of our staff budgets now, instead of our general office expenses.

A Teesside window cleaner, who almost died in a vicious assault by Bristol Rovers player David Pipe, has spoken of his relief that his attacker is behind bars. Rhys Morris, 29, from Middlesbrough, spoke out after Pipe, pictured, was jailed for three years and two months for grievous bodily harm with intent. The 26-year-old thug had been on a nine-hour binge in Bristol, when he hit Mr Morris with a bottle of wine on September 16, last year. Bristol Crown Court heard Pipe, of Barkleys Hill, Stapleton, was drunk on a cocktail of double vodka and sambuca, when he smashed the part-drunk bottle over Mr Morris’ head in a row over a girl outside a nightclub. His victim suffered two skull fractures in the attack, including a depressed fracture which pushed bone into his brain. He had to have three metal plates inserted in his head after he was left with a four-inch hole in his skull. The court heard that following the attack Mr Morris suffered headaches, falls, short-term memory loss and hadn’t worked since the attack. He said that in March he returned home to be cared for by his family, had difficulty sleeping and took tablets to stop fits. Mr Morris said after the case: “He’s got what he deserves and I hope being in jail teaches him a lesson.” Following the violent incident, the footballer was sacked from Bristol Rovers.

Most people have just one pedicurist, but a new salon has opened in London where you can have your toes worked on by 150 beauticians at the same time. The only thing is they're fish. Yes, the vast majority of staff at Aqua Sheko in Kensington, west London, are miniature carp no more than four inches long. And to them, sucking dead skin from your feet is not so much work as lunch. There's no doubt that the feet I pull out of the water, after 30 minutes, are lighter and tinglier than the ones I put in. They're smoother and a lot less lino-like around the soles and heels. The local window cleaner is impressed, too. "Very nice," he tells Ho and Chan. "Could your fish get rid of my corns, too?" The answer is yes, provided he comes back for a couple of follow-up sessions. For generations, it seems these finned therapists (species Garra rufa) have been employed in the treatment of skin conditions far worse than window cleaner's toe or athlete's foot.

York coroner issues warning after heroin deaths of Scott Wade and Adrian Leetham: Inquests have heard how two men – both in their 30s – died in their York homes after using heroin. York Coroner Donald Coverdale warned that even small quantities of the drug could kill, particularly in the case of people who were not regular users. “Any injection of heroin can have fatal consequences,” he said. The hearing heard Mr Wade, an unemployed window cleaner, was known to have smoked cannabis in the past, but not to have used heroin. He was in a good, normal mood when he was last seen and went up to bed, but the following day he was found dead on the bedroom floor. Injection marks were found on him and tests on blood and urine samples showed the presence of heroin.

Day in Pictures: A window cleaner abseils down the side of the Sage music center in Gateshead, England (U.K.). AP Photo/Scott Heppell.

World Cup Fever, Scaffold Accidents + More Window Cleaning News

Jeff Astle (13 May 1942 – 19 January 2002) was an English footballer. He played 361 games for West Bromwich Albion, scoring 174 goals, and was one of the most iconic players in the history of the club. He also won five caps for England, but did not score any goals. After his retirement Astle launched an industrial cleaning business. He was an iconic figure among Albion fans, who nicknamed him 'The King'. 1970 World Cup striker Jeff Astle later worked as window cleaner and had a sign saying "He misses no corners." Weird World Cup - 66 Amazing England Facts.

City of York Council bans staff from flying England flags from its vehicles - Council workers in York have been banned from flying the flag from their vehicles when the World Cup kicks off. The move will also prevent City of York Council employees placing stickers on the side of vans and trucks to show their support for their countries during the world’s biggest football showcase, which starts tomorrow in South Africa. About 200 vehicles, including waste collection lorries, will be covered by the rule.
A spokesman for the Football Supporters’ Federation said: “There is nothing wrong with a bit of patriotism when the World Cup is being staged and it’s quite natural that people would want to show a bit of national pride. “Allowing flags and stickers does no harm to morale and creates a sense of excitement. It would be nice to see the council reverse its decision.” “We have already noticed an increase in the number of these flags at the roadside and we have a duty to prevent litter and not encourage it. “Staff can display flags inside their vehicle as long as they do not obstruct any vision for the driver through the windscreen, side windows or rear window.”
Larry Taylor, the joint owner of York-based Six Five Nine private hire firm, said none of his drivers were allowed to fly the England flag, but this was a year-round policy and not just targeted at flags, with the aim being to avoid confrontation or causing offence. “We don’t allow any sort of identification like T-shirts and flags,” he said. “If we ban everything, we avoid everything. If we say ‘no religion, sex, politics or sport in the car’ we won’t get into trouble with anybody.”
Jon Prankitt, transport manager at A Rhodes Haulage, which operates from Stockton-on-the-Forest, said the firm did not have a policy on flying flags from its 24 commercial vehicles, adding: “We’ve got more important things to think about.”

Mike's Hard (Truth) Lemonade: Summer is here. I’d like to share some dead-on accurate predictions for your summer. Yes, you with the flip-flops, Buddy’s baseball cap and skeptical glare… You’ll experience a random act of soccer hooliganism.
The World Cup begins this weekend. Beware head butts from your British friends.
You’ll see Jesus rise! Jesus Ramirez is a friendly downtown window washer (and part-time soccer hooligan) who likes to surprise cubicle workers at the Dominion building by wearing a white robe and rubber make-up stigmata marks. What a gas…

Cleaning the gutters and windows can be a tricky and dangerous task best left to professionals. However, clearing debris from gutters is mandatory to prevent water from leaking onto the roof and into one's home, causing major damage to walls and ceilings or rotting the roof and eaves. Randy Mills owns and operates Pioneer Services in Sunnyvale and offers professional window, gutter and skylight cleaning to homeowners in Silicon Valley. Mills suggests cleaning the gutters once a year if trees or other greenery are present near one's house. Citing that approximately half a million homeowners are hurt on ladders each year, Mills advises using a ladder stand-off to lean the ladder against the roof without touching the gutters or creating a precarious situation where the ladder can slide off. Two smart investments are screens to place in the gutter downspouts to prevent them from clogging, Mills said, and gutter covers, which go over the top of or inside gutters to prevent leaves from falling in them. "If homeowners determine they want gutter covers, they need to make sure they get the right cover for the job," he said. "A professional should determine the gutter cover type a home requires."
An expert at double-pane window cleaning and repair, Mills said a leading mistake homeowners make with windows is failing to paint and caulk them properly, reducing the windows' ability to properly insulate. Mills suggests inspecting windows, doors with windows, and window and door screens each year, looking for holes in the screen and rotting or poor caulking. While cleaning windows is not a necessity but more of a luxury, he said, it does add to the appearance of one's home.

In Pictures: 'Gulf Oil Spill June 9th' - A BP worker uses a window squeege to remove oil from the BP oil spill from the beach in Grand Isle, Louisiana, USA, 09 June 2010. The oil spill is the largest in U.S. history and continues to threaten wildlife, the ecosystem and the economy of the Gulf Coast as BP and government officials attemmpt to stop the flow and remove what has already been released

Madison house sale to be sold for Alzheimer's Assn. - Every 70 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer's, a disease that robs people of their memory, takes them mentally and emotionally from their family, and eventually causes death. An estimated 5.3 million people in this country have Alzheimer's, the majority of which are over the age of 65. More than 200,000 Alzheimer's victims, however, are under 65. Thanks to an anonymous Lawrence County donor, a home at 324 N. Blanche in Madison will be sold with proceeds benefiting the South Dakota Alzheimer's Association. An open house will be held on Sunday. "We are absolutely thrilled to receive this wonderful gift," said Jane Aspaas, RN, executive director of the state Alzheimer's Association. Several companies have donated services to prepare this home for sale, including Intek whole house cleaning and the Jeff Stone family of Squeegee Clean Window cleaning. "We truly thank them for their wonderful contributions," she said.

Bank commits to spend $10 billion at small biz: Bank of America has promised to increase its purchases of products and services from small to mid-sized businesses and with those with diverse ownership. BofA, one of the world’s largest financial institutions, said it is committed to spending $10 billion over five years. It spent $1.9 billion with this group of suppliers in 2009, said spokesman Jefferson George, and will increase spending by about 5.6% a year so that by 2014 it will spend $2.5 billion. The bank defines small and mid-sized businesses as those with annual revenues of less than $50 million. Diverse businesses are those owned by women, minorities, military veterans or the disabled. The vast majority of the bank’s procurement spending will still be with large corporations, George said. The spending will be nationwide and for all sorts of products and services, including window cleaning, George said. The best place to start the process of winning some of that business, he said, is to go to the bank’s supplier website.

Paedophile murderers had history of depravity: Charles O'Neill and William Lauchlan (pictured) are not unknown in the Scottish courts and were once described by a judge as "evil, determined and manipulative". They are not only killers, but predatory paedophiles who have convictions dating back 12 years. These include crimes such as serious sexual assault and raping children. As the pair begin life sentences for killing Allison McGarrigle their previous dealings with the Scottish legal system can be revealed. O'Neill and Lauchlan, who were partners, killed Mrs McGarrigle in 1997 to stop her reporting the abuse of a young boy. They then put the 39-year-old's body in a bin and disposed of it at sea. O'Neill joined Lauchlan in Spain where they set up a window cleaning business. They then befriended a family in a karaoke bar near Benidorm and lured two English brothers, aged 15 and 18, on a camping trip under the pretext of giving them a job. When the older brother left, O'Neill and Lauchlan abducted the 15-year-old for three nights in April 2004 and attempted to drug and sexually assault him. They were arrested but not prosecuted for the attack and were later deported to Scotland where they were returned to jail for breaching parole.

Orinda CA Workplace Accident: Window-washers shocked,burned by high-voltage wire - On Saturday morning, June 5, 2010, the patrons of the Orinda Farmers Market watched in horror as two window-washers were electrocuted and set on fire some 30-feet above the Vintage Office Building parking. The two men, who suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 95 percent of their bodies, are fighting for their lives while others criticize the rescue efforts of the emergency crews, as reported by the San Jose Mercury News and ABC Local. Two men were reportedly pressure-washing the windows of a three-story building on Orinda Way in a cherry picker bucket, not far from the entrance to the farmer’s market. Just before 10 a.m., two explosions and an arc of fire erupted as a high-voltage transmission line electrocuted the workers. The transmission line apparently carries over 150,000 volts. One witness stated, “One guy was slumped over the controls, unconscious and on fire. The other guy was on his back on fire.” Chief Darrell Lee of the Moraga–Orinda Fire District said, “Their clothes burned off.” The workers were knocked unconscious from the blast. Witnesses began screaming at the men in hopes of waking them up. Once they regained consciousness, the men began frantically putting the fire out with their hands and by taking off their clothes.
The workers were then airlifted to the burn center at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for treatment of 2nd and 3rd degree burns across their entire bodies. They are reportedly in very critical condition. Numerous witness and bystanders were reportedly very critical of the emergency crews, because they allegedly took too long to get to the scene and then waited for some time before rescuing the badly injured workers. Fire officials rebutted by stating it was “challenging” to rescue the men without causing additional injuries to others. One live wire was reportedly still lying on the cherry picker while another was on the ground. They apparently had to wait for PG&E to shut off the power before they could safely rescue the men. Although the accident took place at 10 a.m., the rescue effort didn’t begin till 30 minutes later. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) will be investigating the accident.

More Details Released On Scaffold Collapse; Still No Cause Determined - Still no word on what caused scaffolding to collapse on a building at Binghamton University Wednesday, injuring six people, but more details emerged Thursday on the incident. According to a statement released today by contractor LeChase Construction, three of the six people injured are still in the hospital, but the company will not say what their conditions are. All of the injured workers were employees of Apple Roofing, a subcontractor on the East Campus Housing Project. LeChase says the cause is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, and could take several months. "Under the law itself, OSHA has up to six months to complete any investigation. In an accident as serious as this, they will certainly be very thorough and painstaking. I won't say it will take the full six months, but it could take a few months at least,"said John Chavez Regional Public Affairs Director US Dept. of Labor in Boston.
LeChase maintains the integrity of its work sites saying in its statement: "The personal safety and health of each employee of our team is of primary importance. The prevention of injuries will be given precedence over operating productivity whenever necessary." But it's up to OSHA to decide whether or not all parties involved were following its guidelines when the workers fell about 60 feet. "If any of OSHA's safety or health standards were violated, by whichever responsible employer, then OSHA would issue citations with proposed penalties to that employer," Chavez said.

Scaffold collapse injures workers: The Health and Safety Executive has successfully prosecuted Sohail Hussain after he injured himself and another person while undertaking work repairing a sign. Teesside Magistrates Court heard how the manager of the Metro Inn, Stockton had hired Sohail Hussain, trading as Haris Signs to carry out repairs to a wind-damaged sign which was handing above the entrance to the hotel on 19 November 2009. The sign hung at 8.62 metres off the ground and in order to complete the work, Mr Hussain erected a 4.5 metres tall scaffolding platform, with an extension ladder placed on top of the scaffoling to reach the sign. Helped by another man, Mr Hussain carried out the repair work from the ladder while the other man stood at the top of the platform. There were no guards in place to prevent the man from falling from the scaffold. A combination of high winds and an unstable platform caused both men to fall onto the hotel car park below. Mr Hussain suffered injuries to his knee while the other man suffered a fractured right wrist and a dislocated right elbow. Mr Hussain was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations.
After the case, HSE Inspector Jonathan Wills said: "Both Mr Hussain and the other man are lucky to be alive. The platform erected by Mr Hussain bore no resemblance to the correct standard. This incident was entirely avoidable and should not have happened. Working at height is one of the most obvious and well-known dangers for those involved in the repair or maintenance of buildings. Not only was the scaffold unstable due to its height to base ratio, but it also did not include anything to prevent workers falling from its edge, such as guard rails." Inspector Wills concluded: "The decision by Mr Hussain to support the ladder on top of the platform was ridiculous and utterly unacceptable. Had he used mobile elevated work equipment, such as a scissor lift, or a tied in scaffold, then this potentially fatal incident could have been avoided."

Scaffold falls, leaving two men stranded (Cayman Islands): In 30 years of construction work here, the Hurlstone Construction company had never had an on-site accident—until 8:30am on Friday, 4 June, when fifth-floor scaffolding broke loose and fell from the side of a building on Shedden Road in central George Town. No one was injured. The two men left stranded were unhurt, as well as others on the ground. Part of the debris, however, fell onto the hydraulic lift that was in the process of bringing two company employees to the ground from the top floor to escape an approaching squall. The entanglement prevented further operation of the lift, leaving the two men stranded in the air—attracting onlookers and tying up traffic below. “The Cayman Islands Fire and Emergency Services attended,” the statement stated, “and assisted in lowering our personnel to the ground. Cayman Islands safety inspectors also attended the site.” At the time of the incident, the company reported, the squall had been recorded by the weather service as having wind gusts of 30 mph. The accident currently is under investigation.

Burns & Harris Secures $12.5 Million Verdict for Worker Injured in 2006 New York Scaffold Accident: As other workers dismantled a scaffold from the building frame, Griffin was cleaning the area beneath. While doing so, a side H-Frame from the scaffold, weighing approximately 40 pounds, fell 14 feet and struck Griffin in the back. He suffered a large lumbar disc herniation in his back that required surgery, and permanent nerve damage as a result of the injury, with numbing, tingling and pain radiating down to his legs. Griffin has been unable to return to work in the five years since the personal injury and has surviving on workers compensation. Griffin filed a lawsuit against the owning and managing entities of the property, as well as the general contractor entities for the project, on the grounds that they were in violation of Labor Law 240(1). On his behalf, attorney Harris argued that the defendants failed to provide proper protection, which could have prevented the accident, and that the scaffold should have been secured and tied off.

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."

CfBC is Coaching for Business Change, we believe that whatever business you are in, the key to success is having access to the right people and process to support your organisation the people who can spot opportunity, deliver results and engage with your clients and the process to deliver value, efficiency and sustainable change to deliver increased value.
At CfBC we work with ambitious business owners like you, to inspire and to help you deliver efficient change that improves your business profits, creates a better working relationship with employees, customers and suppliers and ensures that your business has the best process and procedures, people and productivity to ensure you, the business owner can enjoy the benefits of an efficient and rewarding business.
Experience matters, CfBC provides hands on business support, to ambitious small and medium size business's, our team are experienced business veterans who have each owned and operated their own business, and are University accredited "Master Coaches" and each is a member of Institute of Business Consulting. We all have a common interest in helping your business to succeed, we focus on unlocking the potential of your small and medium size business's so you in turn maximise your business performance and achieve real and sustainable value

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.