Farce As Sahara Desert Dust Hits U.K.

Saharan dust, pictured on a house window in Great Shelford, is one cause of high air pollution levels.

Advice as high levels of pollution and Saharan sand hits Cambridgeshire region: People have been advised to go easy on physical exercise as Saharan sand contributed to some of the worst air pollution the city has seen. Cambridge is experiencing the highest category of air pollution today, brought in part by sand and dust blown over from the African desert. sand and dust blown over from the Saharan desert. East Anglia and East Midlands were the two areas in the country given the maximum “very high” rating, with much of Cambridgeshire badly affected, although it is expected to subside tomorrow.

Sarah Jane Lewis has a severe form of asthma, which requires her to take 18 tablets a day, so stayed in today to bake and watch the cycling. The 46-year-old, who lives in Eaton Ford, said: “I’m not prepared to take the risk and go outside so I have made the decision to stay indoors and shut all the doors and windows. It’s like a furnace in here. It’s extreme, but at the end of the day when you have got lungs like mine it’s better to take the precautions.”

Health advice from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) states that when air pollution reaches the maximum level of 10, as it did in East Anglia and East Midlands yesterday, people should “reduce physical exertion, particularly outdoors”, especially if they are feeling the effects of the pollution such as sore throat and wheezing.

James Nisbet plays six-a-side football at Netherhall School’s pitches on Wednesday nights and does not feel the need to change his plans. The executive manager of sports supplements supplier BSC Nutrition Ltd said: “Obviously this is a ridiculous warning and it seems that no-one has been put off playing tonight. “If anything, it just gives us an excuse for some lazy defending.”

Neil Mackay, of Mackays hardware shop in East Road, saw a business opportunity and offered a discount on face masks. He said he has seen an increase in people wanting to buy them to get the “taste of pollution” out of their mouths.  The elevated pollution levels have been caused by a combination of light south-easterly winds, which keeps local pollution close to its source, the continental air flow and dust which has blown up from the Sahara desert.

Will Morgan, a post-doctoral research associate at the Centre for Atmospheric Science at Manchester University, suggested the pollution is being driven by a “cocktail of emissions from industry and traffic emissions” from continental Europe as well as UK sources. Those suffering from the effects of high levels of pollution - including sore eyes, coughs and sore throats - should cut down the amount of activity they take outside, advice from Public Health England (PHE), Asthma UK and Defra says.

It adds that asthmatics might need to use their blue reliever inhalers more often as they could be prone to attacks today and over the next few days. Other people with lung and heart problems, and those who are older, should also avoid strenuous exercise or activity. Paul Cosford, director of health protection at PHE, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme it is “clearly a serious issue”, but added it is “important that we don’t get it out of proportion”.  He said: “It’s a small number of days of very high air pollution levels. The pollution will go down towards the end of the week.

“For the vast majority of people, they will suffer no harm as a result. We may notice sore eyes, coughs, sore throats and perhaps a little bit of a wheeze if we are taking physical activity outdoors. “If that occurs, it is sensible just to reduce during these high pollution episodes the amount of physical activity.  He added: “The most important advice is for those people who are vulnerable - people who have lung disease or heart disease and particularly asthma. That’s where the advice - if you are in a very high-polluted area, to reduce the amount of strenuous physical activity that you are taking outdoors - is sensible just for these few days.”

Watch a video from the Met Office of the dust moving towards the UK below.

The skyscrapers of the Canary Wharf area in London shrouded in smog.

Pupils should stay indoors at lunch to avoid smog, says UK government adviser: Prof Frank Kelly says children should not be allowed to use playground in areas with severe pollution. Schools in areas affected by severe air pollution should keep pupils indoors at lunchtime to avoid them having asthma attacks and potentially lifelong lung damage, a key government adviser is urging. Prof Frank Kelly said children should be stopped from using the playground during school hours to reduce their exposure to the smog that is affecting south-east England and is expected to spread to the Midlands and East Anglia. Kelly is the chair of the Department of Health's Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution and a member of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Air Quality Expert Group.

His advice comes after some schools in the capital decided to keep their pupils indoors on Wednesday as a precaution. Asked if that was sensible, Kelly told the Guardian: "As a general response this is a good approach as children tend to run around outside and therefore breathe deeper. Thus on days like this they will be inspiring a lot more pollution if outdoors than when they are breathing normally (hopefully) inside." The policy should apply to morning and afternoon breaks, as well as lunchtime, Kelly said. "Advice would be the same for breaktimes if pollution levels were increased at the school location." "But we can't do this forever, and in London we face the much wider problem of poor air quality every day. The Saharan dust will pass, but London will continue to fail its citizens on air quality. Children's developing lungs are at particular risk, both long- and short-term.

Dust from Sahara Desert sweeps across Cambridgeshire: Desert dust and sand from the Sahara desert has started to sweep across Cambridgeshire. Bosses at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are warning that people in the East of England and the Midlands should be prepared for “very high” levels of pollution over the next few days. The dust, which is covering cars and window houses across the UK, is as a result of a continental air flow which has travelled all the way from Africa.

Love it : ) ....

Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire braced for repeat of Sahara desert dust deluge: motorists urged to carry 'sandstorm kits' - Residents who woke yesterday to find their windows and cars covered in dust blown thousands of miles from the Sahara desert have been warned to brace themselves for an even heavier deluge this morning. And this time, Hertfordshire County Council and Central Beds Council are advising rush-hour motorists and mums and dads on the school run to carry a ‘sandstorm kit’ – including buckets and spades. At the weekend, very strong winds swept up a large amount of sand from the Sahara desert in north-west Africa, around 2,000 miles away, lifting it high into the atmosphere.

It spread west over the Atlantic, got picked up by southerly winds and was pushed north over the Mediterranean and north-west Europe before arriving in Cornwall and Devon on Sunday. Overnight, it met a weather front and spread north and east, arriving in Herts and Beds on Monday morning. The sand can get caught up in rain droplets and, when the water evaporates, a thin layer of dust is left, as hundreds of motorists who spent Sunday washing and polishing their cars can testify. Paul Hutcheon, deputy chief forecaster at the Met Office, said: “We usually see this happen several times a year, particularly in summer when you get these big dust storms in the western Sahara and the southerly winds to bring that dust here.”

This morning’s forecast Saharan sandfall is expected to be even heavier and could bring with it items larger than just grains of sand, such as tiny pebbles, African litter and even camel dung. As a result, a joint high-level meeting was held late last night (Monday) involving representatives of the councils’ environmental disaster planning teams, emergency services and the NHS. Although the April sand shower is not expected to be heavy enough to pose any risk to pedestrians, they are urged to take precautions by carrying umbrellas or white lacy parasols. And a checklist has been issued for motorists, who are advised to carry the following in their vehicles:

■ a bucket and spade set (must be primary colours);

■ one of those windmill-type things we stuck in sandcastles when we were kids;

■ sandals (male drivers must have accompanying white socks);

■ flip flops; and

■ knotted handkerchief.

Highways officials at county council HQs in Hertford and the appropriately-named Chicksands are taking full advantage of the freak environmental conditions to appease disgruntled taxpayers. A spokesman for the two authorities said: “We’ll be sending out our fleets of gritting lorries to shovel all the sand that falls into the hundreds of potholes that still need repairing. “We’ve been assured that because Saharan sand is a much stronger material than that normally used by our highways repair teams, the mended holes are expected to last for at least 30 minutes.”

Photo Of The Day + Window Cleaning News

Photo of the Day: We are used to looking up at window washers, but this is an interesting perspective on an everyday scene. There are lots of great elements to this photo, including the angle, the lines, and the person on the street. A tilt-shift lens can be an overused gimmick, but it really works in this image.

Sunshine Cleaning Company in Marin County announced their participation in International Monetary Systems (IMS), a barter network and trade exchange. IMS is a professional system which allows companies to exchange services instead of exchanging cash. Sunshine Cleaning Company’s involvement in IMS expands their Marin commercial cleaning, maid service and janitorial services for businesses and individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area. “Bartering is an old practice which was used long before cash exchanges,” said Daniel Muithya of Sunshine Cleaning Company. “Our participation in today’s world allows our cleaning services to be exchanged for another service which is identical in value.”

For example, if an IMS participating restaurant seeks commercial cleaning services from Sunshine Cleaning Company, then that restaurant will exchange a food service with Sunshine Cleaning Company which is similar in monetary value. All goods and services are exchanged through IMS with “trade dollars” which values the cost of specific services in nearly every industry. Sunshine Cleaning Company not only saves cash through this process, it also expands their immediate market. All participating businesses seeking commercial cleaning and janitorial services in Marin are able to search for Sunshine Cleaning Company through the IMS network. In other words, by participating in IMS, they automatically have access to the client base.

The IMS network currently has more than 16,000 members nationwide and continues to grow each day. Some examples of exchangeable services include printing, repairs, travel, office equipment, corporate gifts and company meetings. 

Window cleaner robbed ‘friend’ - A thieving window cleaner befriended a 90-year-old woman before snatching cash from her bedroom on three occasions. Nedeme Leigh, 20, took £61 in cash from elderly Grace Painter’s purse after watching TV with her at her home in Blagdon Road, Whitley. Reading Crown Court heard on Thursday last week that the young drug addict stole at least £20 at a time from the pensioner on October 3, 10 and 11 last year. John Upton, prosecuting, said: “While at her premises cleaning windows he asked to use the toilet. After the last visit on October 11 Mrs Painter noticed £61 was missing from her purse. “The police view was that Mrs Painter, because of her age, was not entirely clear what had been taken and when, but was adamant £61 was missing.” When questioned by police Leigh admitted he had done some window cleaning for Mrs Painter and had taken about £20 on each of three occasions.

The court heard Leigh had described Mrs Painter as “a nice lady” who had trusted him and he admitted he had taken advantage of her. Mr Upton added that the defendant had offered in a police interview to pay Mrs Painter back at a rate of £7 to £8 a week. Leigh admitted three counts of burglary at Reading Magistrates’ Court on October 29. At his sentencing, Henry James, defending, said Leigh had come from a “very troubled background” which had involved drug use and he had sought help to stop his habit. “He formed a friendship with this lady which makes this betrayal all the worse,” he said. Mr James added Leigh was “ashamed” of his actions. Leigh’s mother sat motionless in court throughout the proceedings. Describing the offence as “mean and unpleasant”, Judge Ian Grainger sentenced Leigh, of Queen’s Road, Central Reading, to a 12-month supervision order. He further ordered Leigh to undertake a six-month drug rehabilitation programme and pay £125 compensation.

New pro in the ring aiming for debut win: Stafford boxer Grant Cunningham faces his biggest test as a fighter when he makes his professional debut at Walsall’s Town Hall at the end of the month. An amateur boxer for nearly nine years, Cunningham has been lined up to face journeyman Davy Jones from Scunthorpe in his first scrap, at super middleweight. Nearer home, Cunningham has carried out his gym and road work under the watchful and experienced eye of Woodward, who added: “He’s got the ability, both physically and mentally and he is buzzing. But he knows he must take one fight at a time.” It is the crucial first rung of the ladder for the former Staffordshire (twice) and Midland amateur champion, who runs a local window cleaning business.

Speck by speck, dust piles up: The world has a dust problem. There is more of it than there used to be. Apparently, the amount of airborne dust doubled in the 20th century, according to a recent scientific paper in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. The claim sounds outlandish. The amount of dust in the world must be a constant. The finding was somewhat surprising even to Natalie Mahowald, the lead researcher on the study and an associate professor of atmospheric sciences at Cornell University. Climate change seems to be one source for all the new dust. Human land use is another, she said. Alternately, I asked, have researchers considered the possibility that the dust might have come from under my bed? Recently, my wool Schlitz hat fell down there. When I retrieved it, the hat had grown a full, gray rabbinical beard.

Dr Mahowald’s study didn’t measure dust from human sources, like our burping tailpipes and pilling sweaters, she explained. “Dust is such a vague term. I’m being very particular here: soil particles suspended in the atmosphere.” Mahowald seemed to have her hands full figuring out what all that dust might do to the earth’s oceans and climate. Academia can be petty that way. So I compiled my own advisory panel of lay experts. They were people who live in white apartments and people who collect books by the myriad. The future is looking like a dustier place, I said. What can we do to prepare? We could start by closing the windows, said Jane Novick, who lives on the fourth floor of a prewar building on Fifth Avenue, overlooking Central Park. The buses and taxis crawl by all the time, she said.

All that cleaning can have an unintended consequence: Oddly enough, it actually breeds dust. In fact, cleaning is one of the three main sources of household dust, according to research on indoor particles. Cooking is the second; movement is the third. Every step disturbs tiny particles of dirt, fibre, soot, pollen, paint, food and dead skin. In common parlance, it’s all dust, said Richard Flagan, the chairman of the chemical engineering department at the California Institute of Technology. As soon as these motes lift off a carpet, “you induce air currents” that propel them around the room, he said.

Lonsdale manufacturer Raven Products is one of SAustralia's great international business success stories. Raven also produces the category-leading range of Glidex advanced window cleaning systems and new recycled rubber ramps to improve access and mobility. Raven Products business development manager Rennie Colston says the focus on energy efficiency is not just because it is a comfort issue, but is increasingly a cost issue involving the energy and carbon footprint. Raven Products was founded by Peter Raven, an inventor and innovator, in 1950 and it has been growing ever since. An early product was its Glidex window cleaning equipment, which remains an Australian market leader in hardware stores.

About Kellen & Me - Audio Tree's first artist plays an electro-folk-tapeloop-rock, promising to be refreshing to all ears. Kellen & Me is a one-man musical experience that has a sound larger than one man. The artist's main responsibilities are crafting and performing songs, as well as handling all the food and liquor purchases for his entire operation. Prior to the conceptualization of KELLEN & ME, Kellen worked in the monkey pits as an electro-spectomatrist and as a window washer in his hometown of Chicago during the dead of winter (which he claims is enough to make a grown man cry). Currently, the final elements are being applied to Kellen's first, full-length album release. Kellen's new LP will erase your numbness to music when it unveiled in the Spring of 2011.

Michigan resident Susan Smith says corporate assistance really helped her franchise business. Smith's husband ran a Fish Window Cleaning franchise. In 2008, he suffered a fatal heart attack. Smith was forced to close the store. However, after her husband's funeral, a man from Fish corporate stayed to guide Smith through the first week after reopening; the district manager and headquarters also helped. Smith's business has since been named Fish Franchisee of the Year for her size territory.

Leading support services provider OCS Group UK Limited has successfully retained its contract with St David's, Cardiff for a further 3 year term. Valued at £8m, the contract includes security, cleaning and support services. The contract is multi disciplined with security and cleaning as the two main services provided, supported by window cleaning, pest control, washroom hygiene and the new customer information team which was TUPEd across from Land Securities. OCS initially won the prestigious contract for security services, but has since progressed to provide added support services and has built up a bespoke facilities package with the client. St David's is the largest shopping destination in Wales and welcomed 36 million visitors last year. The centre was also nominated in the Building Cleanability Awards in 2010, in which they were a National Finalist.

All County Windows plans job fair -Vernon - All County Window Cleaning, the largest window cleaning company on the East Coast, is having a three-day job fair Monday through Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 47 Route 94. The company is looking to hire up to 40 people to fill positions in the office, sales, residential window cleaning, commercial window cleaning and power washing.

An 84-year-old Chicago native stranded in the Arizona desert for five days says he survived by drinking windshield wiper fluid. Henry Morello said he was trying to drive to his home outside of Phoenix when he took a wrong turn. He realized his mistake, attempted a U-turn and crashed into a ditch. "I tried to walk away but I fell down," he said.  "Then the battery went dead.  My phone went dead." For five days he says he sat and waited, using floor mats to stay warm during the cold nights. His only food was a plate of leftover pasta in his car, but he said it was too dry to eat.  Left with no water, he tried drinking windshield washer fluid to stay hydrated; a move not recommended by his doctors. Henry Morello said that despite the near death experience, he’ll most likely venture out that way again. "I’ll go back there, it’s my favorite restaurant. They got the best prime rib there is," he said.

General maintenance and upkeep at Youngstown State University are likely victims of the budget reductions this semester after operating funds were cut in fiscal year 2011's midyear budget adjustments. "[The reduction] will cut into any contracts and materials or supplies we need to buy," Executive Director of Facilities John Hyden said. Facilities saw a $149,468 cut in funds, or about 10 percent of the Finance and Administration division's $395,561 operating fund reduction. Hyden said things might not be attended to right away, if at all, just because they are not aesthetically pleasing. So if the necessary supplies are not available, walls that need painted, small cracks that need fixed or windows that need washed will remain on Facilities' to-do list until supplies or funds to buy supplies are available.

At last - a good home for unwanted flyers: In the past few weeks I've had leaflets through from people who want my unwanted gold (yeah, because I have a ton of that) or my broken jewellery (or any other 'antiques'). I've had calling cards from tree surgeons, carpenters, cleaners and ironers, gardeners, window cleaners, persons who can jet wash my patio (I don't have one), replace my fascia boards, (my what? Is that something cosmetic for me or the house?) power clean my oven, and wash my carpets and soft furnishings. There are loads more. And that's not even including the pesky catalogues full of plastic tat and overpriced make-up that get left by local distributors each week. So, as I've been standing waiting for the kettle to boil and idly leafing through the pile that I've accumulated, I realised I could potentially pay for someone to deal with almost every part of my life, from cleaning my car to bringing me pizza at teatime. It's tempting to note down their numbers.

How I would love to have someone come in and maintain the garden, and if I believed in ironing, it would a delight to offload it on to someone else. As for having my carpets and oven cleaned, I'm totally sold - that is so going to happen. I didn't even know mobile oven cleaners existed. Now I know that they do, I'm going to keep them in business.In fact, the only thing I haven't had a flyer through for is dog walking. Not that I have to worry about that, as Matilda is still resisting all efforts to go outside beyond the garden. It's thanks to her I have started saving all the junk mail: once shredded it makes excellent 'litter' to line her puppy crate with. And all those plastic charity collection bags make very good 'nappy sack' substitutes. Some might say it's all most of it is fit for. Me mainly. As much as I want that oven and carpet cleaning man round.

Glass Doctor of Ramsey earned the prestigious 2010 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor given to companies with outstanding consumer ratings over the past year. Glass Doctor belongs to a group of fewer than five percent of registered companies that meet the eligibility requirements to be considered for the award. To earn The Super Service Award, Glass Doctor maintained a total and overall grade of “A;” rated by the consumers, have received a minimum number of reports; are not in the Angie’s List “Penalty Box” and did not have an unsatisfactory rating with the Better Business Bureau. The franchise also received the award last year for their windows services. “Our Super Service Award winners are the cream of the crop when it comes to providing consistently high quality customer service, as judged by the customers who hired them,” said Angie Hicks, founder of Angie’s List. Angie’s List is the nation’s leading provider of consumer reviews on local service companies.

Victim’s dad ‘gutted’ as thug avoids prison: A father whose son was brutally stabbed by a teenage thug has slammed the legal system after his attacker escaped a prison sentence. Neil Boyd’s 19-year-old son Liam was one of three young men to be stabbed outside the Townhouse pub in Market Street, Ely. The triple stabbing happened in the early hours of July 10 last year. The attacker was a 17-year-old boy from Ely, who cannot be named for legal reasons. He walked free from Cambridge Magistrates’ Court last week after he was handed a 12-month youth referral order. He was also ordered to pay £200 in compensation to Mr Boyd and £50 compensation each to his other two victims. Liam Boyd’s father Neil, a window cleaner from Ely, said he was “gutted” with the sentence and has vowed to write to MP Jim Paice and to the courts to challenge the decision.

Daniel Radcliffe shows off his moves as he prepares for musical theatre debut: As the actor prepares for his debut musical theatre role on Broadway, the 21-year-old has given a sneak peek of his dancing skills in a new photoshoot for U.S. Vogue. The English star shares the stage with three scantily-clad showgirls in a stunning shoot by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The shoot comes as Radcliffe prepares to star in the New York revival of 1960s musical How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, which starts previews next week. In a departure from his role as the bespectacled wizard, Radcliffe will play the lead role of J Pierrepont Finch, a bow-tie wearing window cleaner who works his way up the corporate ladder thanks to a self-help book. How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, written by composer Frank Loesser, originally opened on Broadway in October 1961. The musical follows the fortunes of window cleaner Finch as he attempts to work his way to the top of the World Wide Wicket company.

In late 2009, the council’s overview and scrutiny committee published a report listing a host of shortcomings, including cramped rooms, sub-standard washing facilities, uncared for community rooms and poor disabled access. Mr Butler, who is also deputy chairman of the council’s sheltered homes forum, believes there are still too many failings. He said: “It’s not how you should treat people. “It’s also the simple things – the guy who used to do our window cleaning retired, and he was never replaced. “It’s unprofessional.”

John Rabenold of the Deferred Deposit Association says payday lenders provide a valuable service to 180,000 Kentuckians who have nowhere else to turn for short-term loans. Rabenold says payday lenders employ 2,000 Kentuckians, at an annual payroll of $35 million. Their building leases pump $20 million into local economies, plus another $30 million for goods and services, like signs, window washers and carpet cleaners. “The banks, I don’t think, really have an interest in making the smaller loans, or at least the ones that I’ve talked to don’t,” said Ford. “If they did make a smaller loan, they have fees that they can charge to make up for those differences."

I have started to feel those first stirrings of unease that I always get at this time of the year. It may be the early glimpse of pale sunshine which shows up the smudges and smears on the window panes, or the seasonal rustle in the letterbox as the leaflets advertising carpet and upholstery cleaning come through. Or perhaps it is the distant buzzing of a power drill that sets off the mood. Spring is an unsettling time for dedicated non-handymen. It sets off our restless search for something to keep us otherwise occupied. What causes this home-improvement urge in spring? There is definitely something that awakens the deep-seated human grouting instinct. I don’t really accept the theory that it’s all about nature renewing itself, because if that were the case, we’d be better off sprouting buds.

Three tips for sweet success: Can anyone build a fast-growth company? They occur in any region and in any sector. There is no easy, off-the-peg formula – but there are common characteristics, writes Brian Groom.

1. Grow: First, the sine qua non is to have the ambition to grow. You are unlikely to expand without the determination to do so. Those who set out to run a lifestyle business will probably stay doing just that.

2. Innovate: Fast-growers tend to be disproportionately innovative. That can mean anything from inventing a new technique for window-cleaning to internet technology that out-smarts your rivals, or simply a better way of training and organising your workforce.

3. Find a gap: You need to spot a market opportunity that others are missing. That can be a fresh development in an old industry– such as exploiting the “retro” market for nostalgic brands of sweets – or one that is restructuring. It could also be latching on to a trendy high-technology sector.