Window Cleaning News

GUILTY: John Flynn admitted working with no licence as a window cleaner in Aberdeen.

Drunk Aberdeen window cleaner worked without licence: An illegal window cleaner who was often drunk while working has been warned he could face jail. John Flynn worked as an unlicensed window cleaner in the Rosemount area of Aberdeen for more than 18 months before being caught. Police inquiries uncovered that he had frequently worked drunkenly and at least one customer was forced to ask him to leave due to his inebriated state. Flynn, 56, whose address was given in court papers as 12c Rosemount Place, Aberdeen, pleaded guilty to working without a licence at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, and will be sentenced next month.

A video has emerged which appears to show a ghostly-looking figure resembling Princess Diana in a stained glass window. The video was shot by Chinese tourists in Scotland and has been described by paranormal writer Michael Cohen - who was sent the video - as one of the "clearest" paranormal images he has come across. It is understood the footage was taken inside a church in Glasgow, which some who have seen the video say might be significant, as the Princess of Wales' mother spent a lot her life in Scotland, passing away there in 2004. The video-takers did not notice Diana when they took the footage but saw the image when they played their holiday video back when they got home. Michael Cohen said: "The footage is currently being examined by myself and other researchers to ascertain if it is a genuine ghost capture. It might be a bizarre optical illusion, but then again, it could be a ghost - possibly Princess Diana's. "Ghosts often appear in places connected to their lives and families. Ghosts might appear to warn individuals, groups and even entire nations of possible impending danger." The footage is being used in an upcoming TV series on Paranormal mysteries.

Mr. Tightwad’s money-saving tip: Ditch that expensive window cleaner - If you haven’t already discovered the magic of microfiber cloths, here’s another reason you should be using them. Instead of using that expensive window cleaner, dip a microfiber cloth in warm water, wring it out and wipe down your window. Then, take a second microfiber cloth (which needs to be dry) and wipe the window until it’s dry. You’ll have a sparkling clean window and best of all, those cloths can be used over and over again.

Where there’s muck, there’s money for Alan: A mucky job led to a new business for Alan Brown, who has set up a bin cleaning company. Alan, 49, of Whitecross Lane, Shanklin, was cleaning inside a wheelie bin at the Fighting Cocks pub, where he used to work, when landlords Phil Mew and Micala White said they would be prepared to pay someone to do it on a regular basis. Alan did some research and it led to him setting up his family business, The Island Wide Bin Cleaning Company. Alan, who will donate a percentage of the profits to the Earl Mountbatten Hospice, said: "I got absolutely covered in muck cleaning that bin and I thought not many people would want to do that. "When Micala mentioned about paying someone, I thought why don’t I go for it."

Alan bought a purpose-built vehicle, which lifts the bin into a wash position before it is disinfected and deodorised with high-pressure washers inside the van. Four hundred litres of water are stored on the van and Alan has a special licence to dispose of it safely. Customers can have their bins cleaned on a weekly, fortnightly, monthly or period basis, timed around the days their refuse is collected. One-off cleans are also available.

Alan, whose wife, Clare, 51, three sons, Oli, 23, Harry, 17, and Ryan, 17, are involved in the business, compared it to a window cleaning service. He said: "The job only takes a few minutes but we hope it is something people find really valuable to them." Ten pence for every domestic wheelie bin and 20p for a commercial bin cleaned will be donated to the hospice and Alan has set a £2,000 target for the first year.

Teenage job-creators make their own opportunity: That’s exactly the lesson to draw from the responses to my letter last week, after which dozens of people wrote in with stories of young Americans who are learning early that hard work pays off. I enjoyed your story about that young entrepreneur - that is what this country needs.  Plus a government that will help not hinder him as he tries to make this into a successful business and brand. It reminds me of my own story...I started with a window cleaning company at 16 and now I am 35 and we have grown into a multi-million dollar home improvement company serving SE Michigan.

This is Part I of our tribute to legends of Bay Area TV news. I grew up enjoying most of these broadcasters. Then, when I moved away for college and work, I learned how good we really had it. The worst news team in San Francisco was twice as good as the best in Los Angeles. I’m focusing on television anchors and reporters who worked 1990 or earlier. DENNIS RICHMOND (May 1987): I never thought I'd see Richmond anywhere except acting completely serious in the anchor chair. He's working as a high-rise window washer here during a KTVU 5-part sweeps month series called "Risky Business."

GLOUCESTER CITY — NEST International is cleaning up. Rob Almond (pictured) is the chief operating officer of NEST International, which is headquartered in Gloucester City. The company swept up $42 million in 2011 maintaining stores for such retailers as Target, Walgreens and Petco, a 25 percent hike over 2010 revenues. That translated to a $4,000 bonus for every one of NEST’s growing roster of full-time employees, who are encouraged to contribute ideas on ways to boost profits or cut costs. Part-timers got $2,000. “Employees are very careful about how we spend money when the bottom line impacts them personally,” says Rob Almond, vice president of operations. “They come to us with ideas that are wow.” In the past year, NEST doubled its payroll, growing from 59 full-timers to 128. The company added space at its Klemm Avenue headquarters for 25 employees who work the phones, calling retailers daily to keep track of windows that need washing, carpets due for shampooing, walls that would benefit from touch up.

Clementi says handing the headaches to NEST and their network of vetted vendors is more efficient. “Like most businesses, we are looking for ways to do more with less,” she says. “Managing up to 15 vendors for various maintenance duties takes a tremendous amount of time, so we benefit from having NEST do that for us.” Last year, NEST was ranked 2,593 on Inc. Magazine’s list of fastest-growing companies. A second office opened in Florida. Employees in Texas and California work from home. At the local office, NEST has run out of room. Visitors try to schedule appointments during the lunch hour in order to get a spot in the parking lot. “We are looking for more space, either a second building or a bigger building where we can continue to grow,” D’Andrea says.

NEST’s expansion strategy includes enhanced accessibility. The call center is open from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week. Remote workers field calls during off hours. There is no phone tree. Each call is answered live. “We used to be available from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday, with a guy with a laptop and a BlackBerry filling in after that,” Almond says. “It was not enough.” Bob Almond, Rob’s dad, and Phil Dwyer founded the business in 1994. The elder Almond and Dwyer now work out of the Florida office. Showing appreciation for workers has been part of the corporate culture from the start. At the root of the company’s prosperity is a willingness to get down to the nitty gritty. When floods damaged 15 stores at King of Prussia Mall in October 2010, NEST had cleanup crews on the ground within hours. The company forecasts another healthy boost in profits this year as more retailers address deferred maintenance. “We know that a clean store enhances the shopping experience,” D’Andrea says. “We are here to solve problems — and we are ready for the next opportunity.”

Conman told victim was easy target: A callous conman targeted a vulnerable pensioner after being told by another cruel scamster he was an “easy target”. David Morris (pictured) was snared by a neighbour after fleecing his victim of £35 by claiming he was owed the cash for cleaning his windows. Remarkably, Norris, 30, who has 31 convictions for 50 offences, walked free from court despite magistrates being tole he went to his victim’s home after being tole he was easy prey. Today the victim’s family have revealed that 67-year-old has been repeatedly targeted by conmen who have fleeced him out of thousands of pounds. In one such con, bogus builders persuaded him to hand over almost £2,000 to have a garden wall at his home in Seaton Carew repaired - but the work was never done. He was targeted so many times, his family had to install CCTV cameras in his home.

But after this latest scam his family are now looking to rehouse the pensioner in sheltered accommodation to protect him. Hartlepool Magistrates’s Court heard how Morris, of Ilkley Grove, Hartlepool, was cornered when he tried to target the pensioner on December 29 last year by a suspicious neighbour who contacted relatives. He was still being detained when the victim’s brother-in-law arrived - and brazenly tried to front out his scam by telling them he was owed £35 for five weeks worth of window cleaning. But police were called and he was arrested. Lynne Dalton, prosecuting, told the court: “in police interview Morris said ‘I was told if you go to this address and ask for money for cleaning windows he pays you’. She added: “He visited a friend who informed him that the victim was an easy target and you could get money out of without any bother.”

Mitigating, Neil Taylor said: “This is a fairly unhappy case all round - without a shadow of a doubt this gentleman has been targeted.” He said Morris had been “encouraged” to go to the address. Mr Taylor added: “It won’t come as a surprise, probably to the court but certainly to the police, that my client has gone round and done it at the behest or certainly of another the person.” He added there was no confrontation with the victim, the money was recovered and Morris had shown remorse. Recovering heroin addict Morris, who had a £10-a-day habit, amazingly walked free from court after admitting fraud.

Hartlepool magistrates sentenced him to 18 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, with an 18-month community order and 12-month drug rehabilitation requirement after conceding his involvement was a single incident. Chairman of the magistrates’ bench Keith Kitching said: “This gentleman was targeted by yourself and, we begin to understand, by others, so much so that his family have had to install CCTV to his house. “He was targeted by yourself and he was a vulnerable victim.” Speaking after the hearing, one of the victim’s family slammed the sentence. He said; “This person is the lowest of the low. To target vulnerable people like this, he should have gone to prison. “He is 67-year-old, he lives on his own and he is vulnerable. He is very trusting and believes what people say to him. “He has obviously been seen as an easy touch by these people who have targeted him. “As a family, we cannot keep an eye on him 24/7, but we feel there is no other option but to get him into sheltered accommodation where he will be safer. “But to have to take his independence away from him is shocking, it really is.”

Tuition rebate excludes those who need it most: I am no longer eligible for student loans that lead to years and years of payments and deprivation - and I no longer want them. They are toxic to anyone starting out in life. However, those who make the rules bring about a promise to help and then discriminate against those who behold this glorious gift. I bet the households with a combined $160,000 income had presents under their tree. It sickens me that I make six times less than the criteria income and I am deemed ineligible for the tuition grant given to those who I consider wealthy. If anyone has extra work around their homes - painting, window washing - I will be trying to earn money for the rest of my schooling since the government thinks I already have enough to get by and pay our province's tuition fees.

Willmar, Minn., police requests to the council’s Labor Relations Committee: Also, the committee approved a request from Stevens to seek proposals from private companies to assist the current two custodians with cleaning the community center, the old wastewater treatment plant, new wastewater treatment plant, the Public Works garage, airport and fire department. The service is being requested after the council Dec. 19 defeated a motion to hire a third custodian to clean city buildings. Also, Stevens will seek requests from companies to clean carpets and floors from four times per year to once a year and requests for proposals to perform exterior window cleaning twice a year.

Smart Window pushes your home into the future: A new device at CES 2012 will really brighten some technophile homes. Samsung's "Smart Window" technology uses an OLED display and a touchscreen to turn a normal window into a computer.  The Smart Window can do anything a current tablet can do, all while seeing what's going on in the neighborhood. At night, special lights allow for the screen to be used despite the lack of natural backlighting. Another great function of the Smart Window is that it is on one-way glass, so neighbors won't be able to check out what you are watching.

I receive a lot of questions about foggy windows in the winter. Apparently, I'm not the only one. "We often get calls from homeowners who are concerned that their windows are 'sweating' or leaking either inside or outside the home because they see moisture on the glass," said Christopher Burk, technical product manager at Simonton Windows in Columbus, Ohio. That's simply not the case. "While condensation may collect on the interior or exterior of energy-efficient windows, the units are really doing their job by helping serve as a barrier in the home," Burk said. Windows don't cause condensation. They just prevent the moisture in the home from escaping to the outside. "If the inside glass surface on double- or triple-glazed windows show excessive moisture, you can be reasonably sure that the moisture is also collecting on your walls and ceilings," Burk said. "This means you should take steps to reduce the humidity level in your home by using exhaust fans and dehumidifiers." To help control the condensation in the home, experts at Simonton Windows recommend these tips:

♦ Use kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans.

♦ If you have a humidifier, set it to the correct outside temperature.

♦ If your home is overly humid, or if you have a damp basement, use a dehumidifier.

♦ Properly vent clothes dryers, gas appliances and stoves.

♦ Open a window in the bathroom.

♦ Make sure your attic, basement and crawl spaces are well-ventilated and free from obstructions.

♦ Store firewood outside. Even well-seasoned firewood generally has a 20 percent to 25 percent moisture content.

♦ Open curtains and blinds to allow more air circulation around your windows.

Burk also recommends knowing the difference between condensation on the glass and between the glass panes of the window.

"If you see moisture, fogging or cloudiness between the panes of glass in your window, this indicates that the seal of your window has failed and it's time to get a new window," Burk said.

Police have fined more Victorians (Australia) for pedestrian offences than they have nabbed for serious crimes such as stealing cars. More than 5800 fines worth $357,313 were issued to pedestrians by Victoria Police in the 2010/11 financial year.  They include Institute of Public Affairs review editor James Paterson, who slammed the police for fining jaywalkers, saying it was a waste of the authorities' resources and time. "I think this is crazy. As an individual if you cross when the little green man is not flashing you hold the responsibility and pay the cost," Mr Paterson said. "We should be deploying police to solve rapes and robberies, not to fine people for walking across a road. "This is a complete waste of police resources." The most common offence that resulted in a fine was failing to obey traffic lights and signs. Other charges included meandering on the road and walking on bike paths. 298 hitchhikers and window cleaners were fined worth $17,880.

SmarterShade proprietary smart glass technology is 50% more cost effective than current solutions and will disrupt the $5 billion market.   Its smart glass allows varying levels of light to enter through a window based on user controls. SmarterShade received the $100,000 Kleiner Perkins Clean Tech Prize at the 2011 Rice University Business Plan Competition.

Snowmass Village needs a chamber of commerce: Snowmass Village's challenges go beyond the mere commercial and into the heart of community. A true chamber of commerce could provide an energetic gathering place for many constituencies ranging from the new window-washing company to the school district. As a safe and informal idea exchange, consider the creative problem-solving potential of a chamber of commerce. Contrast the dynamic of a lively “business after hours” event with a public hearing.

Parents’ heartache after baby dies from meningitis: When one-week-old William would not feed and had trouble breathing, parents Amy Bevis and Richard Fraser instinctively knew something was wrong. The engaged couple from Sarisbury Green were distraught after William Fraser died at 19 days old from pneumococcal meningitis – an aggressive form of the brain bug. Richard, a window cleaner, said: “We want something good to come from his life and draw as many positives from it as we can.” Now Amy, 28, and Richard, 25, are backing Meningitis UK’s Trust Your Instincts campaign and will be fundraising in the Western Wards for the cause.

SACRAMENTO— A piece of glass has fallen from at least eight stories up at a building downtown Sacramento, smashing on the sidewalk and reminding employees of prior incidents. The decorative piece of glass fell Wednesday morning from the Board of Equalization Building along N & 5th Streets. It shattered on the sidewalk along 5th Street, at a location where employees tell FOX40 some usually take their smoke breaks. As FOX40's crew was at the building, another piece of glass fell to the ground, startling employees and other gawkers. No one was hurt, and drivers are being moved over a lane to allow crews to clean up the glass. This didn’t surprise many, who remember a streak of falling glass back in 2005 from the same building. Over the summer of 2005, there were repeated incidents of glass falling or becoming dangerously cracked at the 24-story Board of Equalization Building. At the time, forensic architects looked at the building and said the heatwave of that year created stress on the windows, causing them to break.

SALEM — Local small business owners and vendors were given a chance to meet and mingle with representatives for some of Salem County’s heavy-hitters in business during an event held here Wednesday. Bill Morgan, owner of Natural Windows, a window cleaning service based in Pedricktown, said any savvy business owner should jump at such an opportunity. “As a small business, who’d want to miss an opportunity to meet with Mannington or PSEG? It’s a place to jump start right into a larger customer base,” said Morgan. “It’s a terrific advantage for small business owners, and it’s also a good networking event to meet other small business owners. You never know what something like this might lead in to.”

Window Cleaning News In A Tough Economy

Bob Kerr: In a tough economy, they find a way to clean up - The work is hard and the work week is sometimes seven days. Starting a company from scratch means moving all the time - on the job, on the phone, at the door of potential customers. It was back in March of 2009 that Curtis Lambert got the bad news. He had been working for a Pawtucket cleaning company for two years. He says he had just gotten a promotion to operations manager and had been bringing in new business. But the boss called him in and told him things were changing and he was out. So he went home to Cranston and told his significant other, Sherry Martin, what had happened. “I think she was more devastated than I was,” says Lambert.

Martin joined him in unemployment just a few weeks later when she lost her job in a hospital gift shop.  So they became Lambert & Martin - in a commercial way. They had business cards printed that say “Sparkle Is Our Specialty.” They clean windows and do power washing. “I think it was survival mode,” says Lambert. “I had nothing really saved and I needed to make money.” He put together his business plan on the run. “I said to Sherry, ‘I know this business.’ I need to make some calls, let people know I’m going out on my own.”

They had no equipment and little money. They bought the basic tools of the trade - a squeegee and two extension poles and some cleaning products. That wiped out their meager savings. His parents bought them a power washer. Due to a non-compete clause in his agreement with his previous employer, Lambert couldn’t pursue commercial accounts in Rhode Island for a year. That left residential accounts. “We printed up some fliers,” says Martin. “We went door to door.”

They targeted areas where they thought people could afford professional cleaning - Providence’s East Side, Lincoln, East Greenwich, North Kingstown. They put out 5,000 fliers. “It took a couple of months before the phones started to ring,” says Martin. Lambert hired his mother, Marie, to handle the call-backs. She is an ideal employee. She doesn’t ask for a paycheck. I had coffee with Lambert and Martin and Lambert’s son, Kris, last week. Without his son on the job, says Lambert, they wouldn’t have been able to take on as much work as they have. Early on, Lambert’s other son, Curtis III, joined the crew before heading back to his pharmacy studies.

The pickup truck they were able to buy in October was parked outside with ladders on it. The truck replaced an ancient Jeep that was sinking fast. They have more than 400 accounts now in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. Their first residential account was a woman in East Greenwich who saw their work and gave them a long list of friends they should call. Word of mouth became a big part of the promotion for a very small business. “Any place that’s got glass,” says Lambert in describing his potential customer base.

I learned about Lambert and Martin from my friend Carol Young, the retired deputy executive editor at The Journal, who hired them to do cleaning at her house in Lincoln. She heard their story and told me it was a good one. It works that way sometimes - people do things out of basic necessity with practiced skills and become a story of their time. 

Lambert and Martin saw little opportunity so they created their own. It has not been easy and by no means are they comfortable with the business they have. Lambert points out that sometimes he is in jeans and a company shirt, cleaning windows. Sometimes he is in coat and tie, making the pitch to potential customers. He knows glass. He knows what works and what doesn’t on certain surfaces. He knows when the weather means a day off. Martin needed some on-the-job-training. But this is a partnership born in a climate of uncertainty, when jobs can seem solid and then disappear. Letting your own hard work determine your future becomes more and more appealing.

Cadbury Spots v Stripes Race Season : World Record Setters: Terry Turbo Burrows has had great fun breaking even more records in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics. Terry says It's great to meet everyone, we have loads of laughs filming & it never changes - it's just funny!"

While on a two-week tour of New Zealand, Barry resident John Viney met former All Black front row forward John Ashworth, who was part of the Grand Slam winning team of 1978. Ashworth was involved in the notorious stamping incident during a match with Bridgend, which left JPR Williams needing 30 stitches. John Viney, a window cleaner and magistrate who lives in Cadoxton, said: "I was in the wine region of Hawkes Bay, to taste the region’s choice wines, when I chanced upon The Junction Vineyard, owned by John and his family. "His wife Jo greeted me and it was while tasting that I noticed several All Black pictures on the wall. "When she heard I was from Wales, Jo said ‘my husband was an All Black and played against Wales’." During the conversation, Jo mentioned the JPR incident and at this point, in walked the man himself.

Too Noisy, Santa Monica Place Neighbors Complain: Their biggest concern is a restaurant called Zengo, which is right across the street from their windows. Rhodes said, and “they say they can mitigate it [the noise], but they can't prevent it...We need our rest.” She also complained about the noise after everything at the mall had closed. Some mornings, buses and garbage trucks woke her up as early as 4:30 a.m. as did the window cleaning at Zengo. “Bells were beeping” as the window cleaners went “up and down, up and down,” Rhodes said.

The Sarasota Pro Wash Window Cleaning Company of Sarasota, Florida has announced the beginning of its online social networking campaign. The window washing company has gone online to continue the growth of its reputation for quality workmanship and extraordinary commitment to customer service and satisfaction. The company provides professional window cleaning services for homes and businesses, but specializes in residential window cleaning for condominium owners in Sarasota County Florida. The Sarasota Pro Wash Window Cleaning Company is offering a "$10 Spring Window Cleaning Deal" from now until March 30, 2011. The company will offer professional window washing services with a risk free offer. The price is only $10 if the client is not satisfied with the professionalism, workmanship or service provided. Any window washing job that is completed in Sarasota County before March 30, 2011, and the client mentions the "$10 Spring Window Cleaning Deal" gets this risk free offer. "It’s time for traditional small businesses to embrace social networking, just like the big boys, and grow an online presence that creates some ’buzz’ for their business. We are so confident that folks will be satisfied with our window cleaning services that we are willing to practically give it away for free" explains company owner Tim Wizba.

Gary Lydon (Actor) - Movie credits include 'Warhorse' by Steven Spielberg, 'Guard'  ‘Ordinary Decent Criminal’  ‘Nothing Personal’,  ‘The Last September’, ‘Boy Eats Girl’ and ‘Small Engine Repair’. What was your first job and salary? I think it was when our window cleaner offered me a summer job down in Wexford when I was about 14. He let me have one third of all takings, which worked out at about £20 a week. He was a good bloke.

Nanotech-enabled consumer products continue to rise: Nanotech consumer products continue to grow at a consistent pace. According to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) over 1,300 manufacturer-identified, nanotechnology-enabled products have entered the commercial marketplace around the world. The most recent update to the group's five-year-old inventory reflects the continuing use of the tiny particles in everything from conventional products like non-stick cookware to more unique items such as self-cleaning window treatments. "The use of nanotechnology in consumer products continues to grow on a rapid and consistent basis," says PEN Director David Rejeski. "When we launched the inventory in March 2006 it contained 212 products. If the current trend continues, the number of products could reach 3,400 by 2020."

Meadowlands Racetrack employees are being sent formal notice that they may be laid off in 60 days, workers were told at a Monday meeting with New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority management. Dennis Shopp, the shop steward for the track's window cleaners, said the letter was a "formality" as negotiations continue for New York real estate executive Jeff Gural to take over operations of the track on April 1. Bob Liguori, business manager for Local 137 — which represents hundreds of tellers, admissions workers and the window washers — said the meeting, held at the track, was a good idea. "Still, when you get that notice in the mail, it is sobering," Ligouri said. "There's obviously concerns about what's going on, and this just heightens it. I told the members, 'Nothing is going to change today, or tomorrow, and it doesn't mean we're going to cease operations here.' "

Window cleaner Gary McPartland has dodged fuel price hikes by running his van on chip fat. Gary feared his profits would plummet because diesel prices are on the rise. So he converted his van to run on vegetable oil. Now he collects it from chip shops, restaurants and other businesses on his round. It costs just 17p per litre for the environmentally friendly option rather than the £1.38 that Gary had to fork out for diesel in the past. Gary, from Preston, Lancs, said: “I have to get around a bit in my job so it was costing a fortune. “Every time the price of diesel went up I was having to change my own prices just to cover my costs. “Doing it this way it is more environmentally friendly because the emissions are a lot lower than ordinary fuel. "The vegetable oil is getting properly used, and it is cheaper. I’m saving money and it’s much cleaner.’’ Vegetable oil is much cheaper than petrol because there is no tax payable on the first 2,500 litres. The duty was removed in 2007 as HM Revenue and Customs tried to encourage drivers to go green. Dave Derby, of Low Impact Living Initiative, which holds courses on converting cars to run on biofuel, said: “You cannot just pour vegetable oil into any car, you have to convert your motor. “A lot of the people looking at using biofuel are driven by the price of fuel. As that goes up I expect more people to come to us.’’

Clean With Vodka: Trade the Martini Glass for a Spray Bottle - the benefits of cleaning with vodka — and not much can stop her from using the alcohol to clean just about everything. You can freshen your laundry with vodka; simply spray it on your clothes and hang to dry; the vodka kills bacteria that cause bad smells. Vodka also shines bathroom/kitchen fixtures on your sink. A mixture of vodka and sugar will keep your bouquet beautiful for longer, or skip the sugar and spray it on your skin to repel bugs. You can add vodka to your shampoo for lush locks — and while you’re at it, you may as well spray it in your shower or tub to do away with mold and mildew. If you’re feeling a bit dentally dismal, swishing a shot of vodka in your mouth will aid with toothache relief.

Egypt’s Army Blurs Lines of Aid From U.S. - According to the State Department, the Egyptian government built the medical center with its own funds, while the American military aid program contributed $162.8 million for equipment, operations and maintenance. The former American military officials involved in Egypt said they believed that the financing was cut off five years ago. But the spigot, it turns out, has not been turned all the way off. Last summer, the Pentagon gave a sole-source, $4.6 million contract to a Florida company called TeKontrol to train hospital staff members for 13 months. Halting the financing, a contract document explained, “could potentially impact the desires of the Egyptian Ministry of Defense” to win international accreditation for the hospital.

The six-story hospital, on a desert road about 45 minutes east of Cairo, appears to be an oasis in a mostly barren landscape. Three wings jut out from the main building, all with white walls and green glass. The glass, including large bubbles framing the end of each wing, shimmers in the bright winter sunshine as window washers - a novelty in Egypt - inch down the walls.

A bug invasion on the New South Wales-Victoria border has claimed its biggest scalp with Albury's Myer forced to close to fumigate the feral foragers. Dean Street shop owners told The Border Mail the massive swarms of grasshoppers, crickets and locusts are adding time and money to their day. They say they are spending up to two hours a day sweeping footpaths or using blower vacuums to move the latest infestation of long-horn grasshoppers. The entry way to Myer in David Street and its David Street car park were yesterday centimetres thick in bugs. Inside, the grasshoppers and crickets were clearly visible in piles on the floor and around clothes racks. A team of cleaners had cleared the footpath and just after noon donned vacuum backpacks to enter the store, ultimately opening doors at 2.30pm. Shopping centres on both sides of the Border and in regional towns have reported the swarms. Car yards too have been plagued for the past two weeks. Amid the piles of rotting grasshoppers are field crickets, also in near plague proportions, and locusts. The insect feast has also brought with it scores of praying mantis and scavenger beetles.

Fonzies' Ben Sudano was sweeping the Dean Street footpath of his eatery yesterday morning. "I'm sick and tired of the clean-up, we sweep before we leave each night and first thing in the morning," he told The Border Mail . "It is never ending. "Last night was like that scene from the Bible with the great locust plague." On the opposite corner, La Porchetta worker Keryn Norman was busy cleaning bugs from the restaurant's windows. "This has become someone's job every day for the past two weeks. "It takes at least two hours to clean-up." The plague also spread across the region yesterday, Culcairn newsagency's Ken Scheuner having to battle through a green skin to his shop front door. "You could not see the front door for the grasshoppers this morning, they were caked on," he said. Locusts are also making a pest of themselves in Yarrawonga, swarms invading the town since last weekend.

Animal Tales: This is the tale of a dog with no tail. An Australian shepherd who was named Sydney by my daughter. Australian shepherds are herding dogs with no tails; they are bred that way. They are known to be very intelligent, easy to teach and train. My husband always said we should not have gotten a dog that was smarter than us, but Sydney had the sweetest disposition, she lived to please us. She was the perfect family pet. The day I learned exactly how smart Sydney was came as a shock to me, but it was a pleasant surprise. Sydney rarely barked. She never ever barked to go out, or be fed, or to get our attention. Sometimes she did bark if someone knocked at the front door, but this day, the window washers were visiting. Another thing you should know about Sydney is that she never ever chewed or ruined any personal property: not shoes, not toys strewn over the floor, nothing. Our children left their Legos and train sets set up for days, invading her territory, and she gingerly stepped over them, making sure not to disturb them in the least.

But on this particular afternoon, I was in the kitchen, and she appeared before me with a stuffed animal from my son's room in her mouth. This was very unusual, and I admonished her, and she followed me as I walked up the steps to return it to his bedroom. And what I saw when I entered his room, was a man on a ladder, wiping the outside of the window in my son's room. So instead of barking, which would have been an indistinct message, she knew that taking something from Tim's room would force me to go up the stairs and into his room and I would see that a strange man was at his window. Her goal was to alert me to a possible danger to Tim - a possible intruder in the house. She did it in the most direct, intelligent way she could.

Jail for Stockton burglar who preyed on elderly: A Sneak burglar who targeted vulnerable pensioners was behind bars today. Lee Anthony Dunn, 25, tricked his way into the home of a 75-year-old Stockton woman. He pretended to be from housing group Tristar Homes and claimed he had come to check her boiler, Teesside Crown Court was told. The trusting pensioner allowed him into her home in Stewart Road. He went into the front room and left just minutes later. She then found her purse was missing. Police were contacted after her care worker arrived and Dunn and another man were arrested a short time later. His victim picked Dunn out during an identification procedure. When interviewed, he admitted spending the money on drugs. The court heard how Dunn was at it again just three days later. He carried out a similar distraction burglary after pretending to be a window cleaner and gaining entry to a house in Queen’s Walk, Stockton. This week he was jailed for three-and-a-half years.

'Window cleaner' conman is jailed after blowing last chance: A conman who was given one last chance to mend his ways by a Crown Court judge in Bristol has been jailed after committing another distraction burglary. Jackson Bogart, 38, of Clayfield Road, Brislington, admitted the charge on the first day of his trial at Bristol Crown Court and was sentenced to three years in prison. He has also been issued with a restraining order, which will never expire, and prevents him from contacting the victims and orders him to stay away from their address. Bogart targeted elderly people when working as a bogus window cleaner. Octogenarians Robert and Margaret Peters suspected he had not even cleaned any of the windows at their Brislington home in April last year.

When Mr Peters paid him £20 just to get rid of him, Bogart entered their house claiming he wanted to use the toilet and pocketed £200 cash from a wallet. In October, Judge Michael Harington spared him an immediate term of imprisonment, giving him a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, with supervision, 100 hours of unpaid work, a three-month curfew and £200 compensation. But after his latest offence he has been jailed. The prosecution was brought by the Bristol Doorstep Crime Team – a joint team made up of Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Bristol City Council's trading standards staff, whose aim is to tackle the problem of rogue traders and distraction burglars. The judge in the case commended both the witnesses for their actions in assisting their neighbour and helping police to arrest the offender. Both witnesses were awarded £50 from the High Sheriff Fund as thanks.

Three scrap metal thieves who took £100 of metal and copper cabling from near Tesco at Burnt Tree “didn’t know” that it would be classed as stealing, a court heard. The trio, all from Tipton, pleaded guilty to theft by finding at Dudley Magistrates Court yesterday. Window cleaner Alan Green, of Sycamore Road, Princess End, was handed an £80 fine and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Unemployed man notches up 3,000 unsuccessful job applications: Alun Brown has averaged just over one job application every working day for the last 10 years – and has succeeded with NONE of them. The 27-year-old hit the unhappy milestone of 3,000 unsuccessful job applications this month after a decade of claiming benefits. He has applied to be a checkout operator, telesales assistant, waiter, window cleaner, receptionist, data inputter and a cleaner... yet not held paid employment since he was 17. The Ammanford man believes he is a victim of the nation’s economic problems. “I really want to get a job, to get up in the morning and to feel part of something. I am willing to do absolutely anything,” said Alun. “Ideally I’d like to work in admin or retail, but as my applications show, I am willing to turn my hand to anything. I’ve even tried to get a job as a window cleaner.“

Police see hotdog fly from man’s hand: An unusual case of immediate community service happened in the downtown business district Friday night as bar crowds walked the streets. Police say that a hotdog “flew” from a man’s hand causing mustard and ketchup to be smeared on the window of Crow Hill restaurant, 9 S. Front St. Because police saw the incident, they notified the restaurant which gave the man some window cleaner. After the man cleaned the window he was allowed to go.

Ex-Window Cleaner Wins Superbowl + Other News

Aaron Rodgers Carries Packers to 31-25 Super Bowl Win Over Steelers: Injuries. Mistakes. And finally, heroics by Aaron Rodgers and a defense that forced three turnovers by a Pittsburgh team that's used to forcing them itself.  The Packers beat the Steelers 31-25 Sunday to win their first title in 14 years and deny a team that already holds a record with six Super Bowl wins. It wasn't a pretty game but it was a great one, highlighted by some remarkable throws by Rodgers, the man who replaced Brett Favre and proved himself on this day to be every bit Favre's equal. "We put this game on his shoulders and he delivered,'' coach Mike McCarthy said. Rodgers, who was named the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP), threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns and might have come close to 500 and five if his receivers hadn't kept dropping perfect throws.

Longshore keeps eye on windows of opportunity (11/09/2006): Nate Longshore would be stepping into the shoes of Aaron Rodgers, who learned to do the job beautifully and whose work came to be greatly admired. Rodgers was quick and efficient, could scramble, had the vertical and the horizontal game. "I just stepped into the spot Aaron left," Longshore says, modestly. Yeah, Aaron Rodgers could really handle a squeegee. We're talking about window washing. 

For the last few years, Cal quarterbacks (and a few other players) have washed windows in the Lafayette-Moraga-Orinda area as a summer job. I'm naive. I had no idea a star Pac-10 quarterback would have a summer job so labor-intensive that it would involve actually showing up. Whatever happened to the college-sports-star tradition of secretly hiring an agent who advances you millions of dollars against your future NFL contract so you can hire someone to do your windows? I'm guessing Matt Leinart never squeegeed a window while he was at USC.

Last summer, Longshore needed money for housing and incidentals. And Nate's father, Todd Longshore, passed away unexpectedly last April, so hard work probably helped take Nate's mind off his grief. So he worked every weekday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. as an intern for Cal alum Alan Metheny at the Morgan-Stanley investment firm, then Longshore went to class at Cal, then he worked out with teammates and trainers. On weekends, he picked up the squeegee. Longshore and a teammate would knock out two or three houses every weekend. Hard work, and risky. "I don't know if coach Tedford would approve," Longshore said. "Sometimes you're out on a catwalk three stories up. Or on ladders, hanging out windows, on roofs."
Most of the windows they cleaned belonged to Cal alums, but the toughest and most dangerous job was the home of a Stanford alum. Is it possible that was a set-up? "Maybe," Longshore said. I asked Longshore if he ever saw "The Karate Kid." "Wax on, wax off," Longshore said. So did the window washing help build his quarterback muscles? "It's some good shoulder work, yeah," he said. "Especially the high windows."
There were other perks. Longshore said he enjoyed watching the Italy-USA World Cup game at one of his jobs. No, he didn't plop down on the couch; he watched the game through the windows he was washing. Marcie Tuttle, who hired Longshore, told her football-loving 10-year-old son, "You may never have another Division I quarterback wash your windows again. I suggest you take advantage and engage him in conversation." So Sam Tuttle hung with Nate, helped him with buckets and ladders.

Of course, last summer Longshore was much less of a celebrity. His leg was broken in his first game and there was no guarantee he would ever take another snap for the Golden Bears, so a humble job was no problem. Not that Longshore's recent exposure to the limelight has gone to his head. Either fame hasn't caught up with him, or he with it. Asked Tuesday if he is treated as a celebrity on campus, Longshore said, "They don't know me. I'm just a regular dude, that's all." If Longshore's academic schedule permits, he might want to take Ego 101. He's got another season or two at Cal, but Longshore might be washed up as a window-washer, especially after Tedford reads this column. But the job helped the not-overly-outgoing young man open up around strangers, and it taught him lessons that will help carry him through life. Said Longshore: "Those micro-fiber clothes are great."

Plymouth-based window cleaners Steve Warn and son Chris, "We're being targeted by yobs," says family after second paint-stripper attack. Vandals have caused thousands of pounds of damage to a family's vehicles – again. Sandra Warn said yobs targeted the family's Mercedes last year causing more than £5,000 damage after throwing paint stripper across the bodywork. The louts have now struck again at their home in Buckingham Place in Higher St Budeaux, this time targeting her husband and son's brand new work vans. Sandra, aged 54, said the vandals returned on the evening of January 14 and poured yet more paint-stripper over the two vans.

Both vans are used by husband Steve and son Chris who run Reliant Window Cleaners Ltd, the firm first established by Sandra's father in 1947. She said: "It's going to cost us another £5,000 or so to fix. "We only bought them a few months ago and they've been kitted out with all the equipment. Thankfully we hadn't got around to having the signs written on the panels. "We really feel that we're being targeted and we don't know what to do. "It's a cowardly way to deal with things."

Steve, 59, said: "When I first saw the damage I was totally gutted. It's just so much malicious damage. I've never had a new vehicle before so it was awful to have this happen. "We definitely feel we're being targeted by someone. "We'll be keeping a close eye on our vehicles from now on." A police spokesman said officers were carrying out an investigation into the incident and had a number of leads to follow. The spokesman said: "We are aware of certain people in the area. We would urge members of the public to come forward with any information they have." Anyone with information should call police on 08452 777444 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting crime reference ED/11/305.

Adventures of a high-rise window cleaner: After cycling from Toronto to the West Coast and back, then sailing from Scarborough to Iceland, K.C. Maple was having trouble adjusting to the confined life within the tall towers of Toronto. That was until he found a job that let him climb to the top and dangle off of them. For the past two and a half years, the 24-year-old with long, blond hair pulled back in a ponytail has washed the windows of Toronto’s highrise buildings. It was on the way to a native sun dance ceremony that the part-Swede, part-aboriginal met a man who cleaned windows for a living. “That was the pivotal point that brought me into the joy of this business,” he says. He is sometimes afraid, but mostly he enjoys the thrill of being up so high. And the money is good. He tells me a beginner who works fast can usually make around $50,000 a year. “It’s great to be paid to go out there, have a little danger and have some fun,” he says. “I’ve always wanted adventure, excitement, physical danger.”

Maple spends his days speeding up elevators with 250 feet of ropes draped over his shoulders, then lowering the rope down the side of buildings and repelling on a small plywood seat, holding a couple of squeegees, a suction cup to help him keep close to the windows and a five-gallon bucket filled with water and dish soap. It’s great exercise, especially pulling the ropes up at the end of the day — “From a fitness standpoint, you’ve got a lot of reps,” he explains. Instead of feeling trapped within the walls of a crowded city, he feels liberated in scaling them.  “I love the peace out there — on the outside of the building. You’re not inside the fishbowl.”

And what he finds on the highrise windows, besides layers of dust, bird feces and grease from unburned fuel, is an urban ecosystem. There are spiders, birds of all types and far too many midges for his liking — a midge can leave a long streak on a window if it gets caught between the squeegee and the glass. Even the peregrine falcon at Yonge and Eglinton has warmed up to him. “He used to scream when I’d come up,” he says. “But over the last year and a half he doesn’t make noise.”

Then, of course, there’s the life on the other side of the glass. Maple tells me that despite what people might imagine, he isn’t usually looking through the glass, but at it. Sometimes, though, he will be distracted by a stunning condo interior, or a cluttered one. Other times, people will wave to get his attention. “I have people showing me their babies a lot,” he says. But really, he admits, they’re probably showing their babies the window cleaner.I ask him how long he thinks he will do this job. “Until I can come down,” he says, referring to his passion for the work. “I can’t see myself doing anything else.”

Artists see the light in stained glass - "We explained to people what we were going to do with conservation, it hadn't been done before, and from then on we started restoring some of the biggest churches in Ireland, from Castlebar church, which has the biggest window in Connaught to Valentia Island, to all the Ring of Kerry." Taking out the windows, they would bring them back to the studio in Dublin, where they would make a rubbing of the window and then dismantle it completely. The process involves washing them in cold water with no acid. "Previously people were cleaning them with wire wool and damaging the glass because the paints of years ago were very delicate, the kilns weren't hot enough then to bake it in."

ZUCKERFEST: Chicago window washing czar Neal Zucker knows how to throw a party — and his 45th birthday bash Friday at Macy’s Walnut Room was no exception. From the multiple Marshall Field’s-esque signature emerald green accents to the classic Walnut Room menu (including Field’s famous chicken pot pie and Frango mint dessert), Zucker said the evening was both a tribute “to all those memories we had coming here as kids, but also a way to look forward.” Among the 300-plus “FONZ” (Friends of Neal Zucker) spied toasting their pal with Neal’s family were Mayor, Maggie and Patrick Daley; Nora and Sean Conroy; Bill Bartholomay; Kathy Brock; Valerie Jarrett; Leslie Hindman; Ron Huberman; Juanita Jordan; Linda Johnson Rice; M.K. and J.B. Pritzker; Desiree and John Rogers, Lisa Madigan, and Art Smith.

How Much Does Window Cleaning Cost? Most window cleaning services charge by the number of panes. Each pane is a piece of glass framed on all sides by wood or metal. Some companies charge by the total square footage of the home. Typical costs: Generally, window cleaning costs $2-$7 per pane. For a 1,300-square foot home with 20 panes, the cost would run $40-$140. For a 2,200-square foot home with 28 panes, the price would average $56-$196. Self-cleaning windows can be made easier with the proper tools. The Housekeeping Channel recommends buying a professional squeegee and using dish soap. Squeegees and window washing tools run under $10.

What should be included: Good Housekeeping recommends cutting "prep" fees by removing drapery and blinds ahead of time, and clearing any furniture that obstructs access. Additional costs: Screen cleaning is .50 cents-$5 each, depending on size. Some companies will not clean broken or torn screens. Sliding glass doors run $2.50-$8 per door. Some companies average the cost of sliding doors with small bathroom windows, to cut the price. Some cleaners will include sills and tracks. If not, the price runs .50 cents-$5. While second story work is generally charged the same as single story, third and fourth-floor ladder work runs $3-$5 extra per window. Paint or stain removal on the windows costs $3.50-$6 for a regular-sized window. Removing mineral deposits is included by some companies and runs about $20 per pane at others.

Window cleaner conman in court: A conman who went door-to-door claiming to be the window cleaner’s mate and asking to be paid only made £17, a court heard last week. Jamie Lanigan, aged 25, of Fairfax Court, St Neots pleaded guilty to 16 allegations of fraud before Huntingdon Magistrates Court on Thursday. He visited 16 homes in Eaton Socon on November 4 claiming to be the window cleaner’s mate. He was given £17 at one home, but received nothing elsewhere. He smirked when magistrates pointed out it was not a “profitable exercise.”

When Thompson learned that Mattress Mania had paid a guy $150 to clean the two store windows, he said he’d do it for $100 — and so he got himself another part-time job. He’s approaching business owners for more regular commercial window cleaning jobs.And he still hopes for a full-time job. “I never give up,” he said. “I kept putting in applications even though I’m not making it. I’m trying to keep a good spirit up.” For a year now, Thompson has waved a sign 5 1/2 hours a day in front of Mattress Mania on Gateway in Springfield or on West 11th Avenue in Eugene — about a block from the site of the grocery store where he started his work life. He makes $8.40 an hour.

Javier Morillo, president of SEIU Local 26, a union representing janitors, window cleaners and security guards with a largely immigrant membership, saw firsthand what happens after an audit and he, too, questions the feds' new direction. In November 2009, New York-based cleaning firm ABM Industries fired 1,200 SEIU-represented janitors in the Twin Cities after an audit. Subsequently, many of the fired janitors went from $13-an-hour jobs with access to health care to what Morillo describes as an underground economy of unscrupulous employers who pay their employees under the table and off the books. Still, based on a survey of the affected workers, only 6 percent said they were seriously considering returning to Mexico or other countries of origin. The union estimates 760 U.S. citizen children were affected by the audit, by having a parent lose a job, and 678 houses were expected to go into foreclosure.

Treasured gold ring returned to Saltburn woman: Around Christmas time, in deep snow, Stephen J Dowd, a retired window cleaner and keen local photographer, saw a woman, man and two children desperately looking for the ring which had been dropped. He said there wasn’t an earthly chance of finding it in the snow and even a return visit by two men with a metal detector failed to find the ring. Then, when the snow had gone, he spotted it under a stone plinth on his second search. We highlighted the story and asked for the owner to come forward. Then a very emotional and grateful Victoria Tosh, 41, of Oxford Street, Saltburn, met Stephen at his home to be reunited with her very sentimental, most treasured possession. “We had a snowball fight and my hands got cold and wet. I felt it go, but though we searched high and low we couldn’t find it. We went back next morning to look again and two friends went back a week later to look with metal detectors, but no joy. “Then our pal Andy Pennock, of Brotton saw the Gazette story and left a message on our phone. Previous blog on this story here.