Thunder, Lightning & Earthquakes In Dubai For Window Cleaners

If the rain begins to fall in the middle of a job, the cleaners sometimes have to start all over again.

Weather that leaves UAE men swinging in the rain: Window cleaners who hang from ropes outside skyscrapers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are constantly watching for change in the weather. "The last time we saw rain like this was a few years ago. In 2012 it only rained once. It's not the hard rain that cleans things, it's a muddy rain and things get even worse," said Alain El Tawil, the managing director at Gecko.

If the rain begins to fall in the middle of a job, the cleaners sometimes have to start all over again. Gecko cleaners were halfway through cleaning a building in Abu Dhabi when it started to rain. The job that should have taken 20 days will now probably take 30. "We have to do it again," Mr El Tawil shrugged.

Rain is not their only problem. Amel Vriesmann, head of the rope access division at Megarme, said: "We need to stay within the parameters of the winds. The limit is 20-25 knots depending on the scope of work you do. When the rain becomes severe, we pull out. But a few drops don't stop us."

Last week's thunder and lightning had cleaners abseiling down to safety. "Once we saw lightning, we were off the building. We have a daily weather forecast email among all the management. Rain is OK but thunder and lightning is a no-go," he said.

World's Highest Window Cleaners - It Took Us Three Months To Clean Burj Khalifa (Nick Vassilev) -  It took an Australian window cleaning company 3 months to clean the windows of the tallest building in the world - Burj Khalifa. Ever wondered about how they keep the windows of these skyscrapers clean? The usual options available to window cleaners such as ladders and high-level Reach and Wash cleaning systems aren’t an option there.

London, UK -- Travel and tourism websites, programmes and brochures continually bring us pictures of tall skyscrapers in some far-off land, man-made mountains of glittering glass and steel. But pause to think about what has to go on to keep the windows of these skyscrapers, such as the Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sparkling and clean.

Usually, window cleaners working with exterior windows above the ground have several options. “We encourage our window cleaners to use high-reach window washers that can be operated from the ground for health and safety reasons,” said a spokesperson from the London-based cleaning company Anyclean, which offers window cleaning alongside a range of other cleaning services. “Ladders are OK if used correctly for two-storey houses and skylights on bungalows.  The Reach & Wash machines can reach up 75 feet, which takes care of most domestic and office window cleaning situations, but for anything higher than this, you need cradles, harnesses and cherry pickers.”

So what did the company responsible for keeping the windows of the Burj Khalifa clean do? The Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building at 2717 feet tall with a total of 24,830 windows, which make up 1,292,500 square feet of glass to clean.  The Australian company CoxGomyl, which is responsible for getting the windows clean for the opening ceremony (held back in 2010), took three months to complete the process of cleaning the windows.

This window cleaning team specialises in making equipment known as Building Maintenance Units (BMUs) as well as other high-rise high-tech window cleaning equipment. A number of these BMUs are permanently in place on the Burj Khalifa and the machines use a system of tracks and cradles to reach every single window. The tracks are built into the exterior façade of the building, and window cleaners are carried in these cradles (which are housed in special cavities inside the building when not in use) to where they can work at washing the windows. To clean the windows, they use ordinary soap and water. “You can imagine how expensive it would be if they used chemical window cleaning products,” said the representative from Anyclean. “But water does work well at cleaning just about everything.”

The window cleaners who operate in the highest BMU on the Burj Khalifa hold the current record for world’s highest window cleaners.  “Good for them,” said the Anyclean representative. “But I think I like keeping my feet on the ground!”

909 high-rises, 448 skyscrapers in Dubai... But do you know how to survive an earthquake? Tall order: Dubai has 909 completed high-rises, including world’s tallest tower, tallest hotel and tallest residential buildings (By Vicky Kapur) -  Two major earthquakes have rocked the Arab world and the UAE in the month of April: the first one on April 9, and the second one on April 16. Both the earthquakes were follwed by minor aftershocks. A 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook Iran and the rest of the Arab world at around 4pm UAE time on April 9, 2013, followed by smaller aftershocks. The death toll from the quake was last reported at 37, with hundreds others injured, mostly in Iran.
 

The epicenter of the April 16 quake, of 7.8 magnitude, was also in Iran, near the border with Pakistan, and it rocked the region at 2.44pm UAE time (10.44am GMT). The UAE's official seismology authority, National Centre of Metrology and Seismology, confirmed to  Emirates 24|7 that the epicentre of the most recent quake was 650km off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah in UAE. However, the tremors from the quake could be felt in locations as far and wide as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Manama, parts of Saudi Arabia as well as in Oman, with minor swaying of high-rises reported in these locations.

Earthquakes are not common in Dubai and the rest of the UAE, but nature has its way of showing who’s the boss every once in a while. Perhaps because we are not used to experiencing frequent tremors, residents of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, especially those living and working in high-rises, may not necessarily be adept at knowing what to do when tremors strike. It is no secret that Dubai is home to the tallest residential skyscraper cluster in the world. Not only does Dubai boast of the tallest building in the world, the imposing Burj Khalifa, but also the tallest residential tower (Princess Tower), the tallest hotel in the world (JW Marriott Marquis Dubai), among many more.

According to Emporis, a global provider of building information, Dubai has 909 high-rise buildings , including 448 skyscrapers (comprising 40 floors or more). According to SkyscraperPage.com, Dubai has 387 towers that are more than 99 metres in height, of which 84 are more than 202 metres tall and 26 are 301 metres or more in height. Indeed, there are three towers in Dubai that are at least half a kilometre (500 metres) in height. That’s a tall order, indeed, if there was one.

While we’ve all come to live and love our high-rises in Dubai, we can’t all claim to know about what do in case an earthquake strikes. Proof of this was the recent Iran quake, tremors of which were felt by us here in Dubai. There was confusion all along, with a number of office and residential buildings evacuated on the one hand, and with others going along with their daily chores as if nothing had happened. But if you need to be prepared the next time tremors strike, wherever in the world you are, you’ll do well to understand the following pointers (SOURCES: Earthquake Country and Go Los Angeles.

INDOORS: DROP, COVER, HOLD ON…

• DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building. Check out this PDF .

• Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.

• Quickly move to a safe location in the room such as under a strong desk, a strong table, or along an interior wall. The goal is to protect yourself from falling objects and be located near the structural strong points of the room. Avoid taking cover near windows, large mirrors, hanging objects, heavy furniture, heavy appliances or fireplaces.

• If you are cooking, turn off the stove and take cover.

• Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture, window or anything else that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place (i.e. under a desk or in an inside corner).

• Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, load-bearing doorway. Brace yourself on the side with the hinges to avoid the door swinging at you.

• Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.

• Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.

• DO NOT use the elevators, even if they are working. There may be aftershocks.

• If you’re in your hotel room, stay there. There are usually aftershocks, and sometimes they may be worse than the original earthquake. Under a sturdy desk or in an inside corner of your room is the safest place to be, even if you’re on the 40th floor. If there’s a heavy bookcase next to a match-stick desk, don’t get under the desk.

• If you are in a restaurant, get under the table.

OUTDOORS: Stay Put

• Move to an open area where falling objects are unlikely to strike you.

• Move away from buildings, powerlines, streetlights, utility wires and trees.

• Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits, and alongside exterior walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects.

TRAPPED UNDER DEBRIS

• Do not light a match.

• Do not move about or kick up dust.

• Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.

• Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.

AFTER THE QUAKE

• Check for injuries, attend to injuries if needed, help ensure the safety of people around you.

• Check for damage. If your building is badly damaged you should leave it until it has been inspected by a safety professional.

• If you smell or hear a gas leak, get everyone outside and open windows and doors. If you can do it safely, turn off the gas at the meter. Report the leak to the gas company and fire department. Do not use any electrical appliances because a tiny spark could ignite the gas.

• If the power is out, unplug major appliances to prevent possible damage when the power is turned back on. If you see sparks, frayed wires, or smell hot insulation turn off electricity at the main fuse box or breaker. If you will have to step in water to turn off the electricity you should call a professional to turn it off for you.

Advisory On Elenin & The Ring Of Fire - Forget Window Cleaning

An upcoming celestial & earthly event could change many window cleaners lives & I hope I'm wrong as I've been following this for quite a while. But with the lack of national media news covering this, I'd thought I'd advise readers on this blog.  Yesterdays 6.9 earthquake in Nepal/India (& 7.1 in Alaska) which killed 53 and destroyed more than 100,000 homes seems to be the most under reported event of the year. The major news media seems to have dismissed the event & anything to do with "Elenin" which is a little surprising to say the least, especially when major earthquakes occur when there is a planetary line-up. So you reckon I've been watching too many YouTube videos? If you care to take a look & google "Elenin", "Nibiru" & "two suns" - you will see this blog is quite understated compared to what else is out there! What other dis-information is out there? And just as a coincidence, Obama makes his way to the biggest underground bunker in the World on the 27th of September! So bear with me & listen to the facts..

A 25,000 mile line along the Pacific Rim, known as the "ring of fire," also called the Circum-Pacific belt is the most geologically active place on earth. The recent earthquakes that have pounded Japan, New Zealand and Chile all have one thing in common: They were caused by the movement of a massive piece of Earth known as the Pacific Plate. The Pacific Plate is also grinding alongside the North American Plate in California along the San Andreas fault, which geologists call a “transform fault.” Los Angeles lies on the Pacific Plate while San Francisco is on the North American Plate. The plates are moving in opposite directions. The largest earthquakes seem to be happening when Earth is lined up with Comet Elenin. As this video attempts to explain.

The Supermoon will shock Planet Earth on September 27th in the most extreme form, complete with an earthquake watch for California. During the September 27th Super Moon event, sky watchers can experience a lunar perigee, with the moon at its brightest, biggest and closest to Earth in a dramatic way. The "Supermoon" (a term coined by Richard Nolle) is associated with severe storms, powerful earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and extreme electromagnetic anomalies. The Pacific Rim's 'Ring of Fire' has been going haywire lately, with major earthquakes in Chile, New Zealand, Japan and Alaska.  Could Los Angeles or San Francisco be next for a big earthquake?

Nobody knows for sure whether the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in Japan were associated with a Supermoon during the same month, but the coincidence is very scary. The Supermoon of last February, revealed itself right before the devastating Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake, and the March Supermoon had 'doom and gloom' prophets working overtime. The September 2011 Super Moon will soon be rearing its lunar head soon, so beware and prepare. California is holding the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history the day before the Super-moon. There are two Supermoons remaining in 2011: September 27, 2011, November 25, 2011.

Last year, the February 28th Supermoon coincided with the megathrust 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile, the 'snow hurricane' in the Northeastern U.S., and a Pacific Ocean tsunami. With the state government and FEMA signing an emergency plan for a major Los Angeles earthquake, preparedness on the part of Californians is now more crucial than ever. As well, seismology experts are now predicting a major San Francisco Bay earthquake to soon strike on the Hayward Fault. Could the September 27, 2011 Supermoon be the cataclysmic trigger for The Big One?

More Window Cleaners Caught In U.S. Earthquake Tremors

Did the Earthquake Tilt the Washington Monument? According to Fox News, the Washington Monument may be tilting as a result of the 5.9 earthquake that just hit the area.

Eastern alumni affected by East Coast earthquake: Four Eastern alumni were on the East Coast when the earthquake started at 1:51 EST, each experiencing their first major seismic event.

Jean Wright Medina, a 1988 Eastern graduate, felt the earthquake immediately while working in Washington, D.C., a few blocks from the White House. Similar to the other alumni, Medina didn't think the shaking was because of an earthquake. "We had window cleaners on our building so when I felt it I thought the scaffolding fell off the building." Medina felt the shaking and left her desk to look out the window. Then the window started to rattle and she realized it wasn't the scaffolding. "You could feel the building moving," Medina said. Medina said she and her Air Transport Association coworkers took cover while the shaking continued. When it stopped, everyone immediately evacuated the building. She said everyone from the buildings around them was doing the same thing. Once she got outside, she texted her family in Chicago. "The cell phone service was jammed so I was worried my family would see something on the news and worry when they couldn't get a hold of me," Medina said.

Eric Hiltner, a 2010 Eastern graduate, was in Richmond, Va., approximately 38 miles from the epicenter, when the earthquake happened. Hiltner said he was working at Lumber Liquidators when the building started shaking violently. He said he and his coworkers thought it was a passing truck. "We realized it wasn't because it was taking longer than a truck would pass," Hiltner said. Hiltner said a couple of old customers were in the store when he yelled, "Earthquake!" "I think the old lady almost died of fright," Hiltner said. Everyone in the store was OK, he said.

Another alumna was in her third-floor office in Takoma Park, Md. when she felt the shaking. She too thought it was a truck. "I thought a big truck hit the building," said Dru Sefton, a 1982 Eastern graduate. "Then the shaking went on." Sefton said her building did not seem to be shaking, rather she said it felt like it was "twisting or rolling." Sefton's husband, Andy Savoie, a 1983 Eastern graduate, was walking outside in Washington, D.C. and did not feel any tremors from the earthquake, she said.

Alycia Rockey, a 2010 Eastern graduate, was in Brooklyn, N.Y. when she felt the shaking. She said everything around her was wobbling. Rockey said the experience made her realize the world is unpredictable. "You never know what's going to happen next in this world," Rockey said.

A stone that broke loose.

 

Washington DC Earthquake Damages Washington Monument, National Cathedral: The 5.8 magnitude earthquake that rippled through Washington, D.C. on Tuesday cracked the Washington Monument and broke loose pieces of the National Cathedral, leading authorities to close the two symbolically and architecturally significant sites. Visitors were turned away from the Washington Monument, a 555 foot stone obelisk that is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions, after the National Park Service reported finding cracks in the triangular stone atop the structure. The monument is shuttered indefinitely while engineers evaluate the extent of the damage. "The [National Park Service] will have structural engineers evaluate the cracks on Wednesday to determine the best way to repair the Monument before it is reopened," the Park Service told The Los Angeles Times.

Window Cleaning News

PHILADELPHIA: Evacuees look up at a window that cracked during the quake on Market Street in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. A 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt as far north as Rhode Island, New York City and Martha's Vineyard, Mass., where President Barack Obama is vacationing.

Area quake unusual for East Coast: The Tuesday earthquake was roughly 30 times less powerful than the strongest recorded quake to strike the East Coast, said Jonathan Nyquist, chair of Temple University's department of earth and environmental sciences. That was the temblor that struck Charleston, S.C. in 1886, measuring an estimated 6.6 to 7.3. Still, Tuesday's event was unusual, Nyquist said. Currently estimated at 5.9, the number is likely to undergo some revision as more reports from seismographs are factored in, he said. "Anyway you look at it, it's a pretty good size for an East Coast earthquake," Nyquist said. And the quake was especially easy to feel because its epicenter was at a fairly shallow depth of just 1 kilometer, and because the East Coast's rocky crust is pretty solid. "The rock's pretty solid, not as much busted up and broken and faulted as in some places out west," Nyquist said. "We sort of ring a little bit like a bell when we get an earthuqake."

Though no injuries were reported, Philadelphia area people were taking precautions. At about 2:15 p.m., Jenkintown Building Services owner Marty Tuzman said he was ordering his commercial window-washing crews to come down from buildings "at least for awhile." None of his workers reported any falls or injuries as a result of the tremors. The last earthquake in Pennsylvania was actually just July 6, about six miles west of Bristol in Bucks County, according to a preliminary earthquake report by the U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Hazards Program. But its magnitude was just .4.

Window Washer Injured in Accident: A window washer was injured Friday when a truck struck a lift he was on and pushed him into a window at the University of Arkansas.

Nonsense billhurts business, limits workers - Imagine you own an office building. Imagine you have hired a company that washes the windows weekly. Imagine this window-washing company habitually leaves your windows so smeared and streaked you can't tell whether it's day or night. So you fire the window-washing company and hire a new one. Imagine your surprise when, on the appointed day, the very same incompetent guys show up with buckets and squeegees. Imagine no longer. This is the infuriating new world of AB 350, the Displaced Property Service Employees Opportunity Act, which has inexplicably passed through the Assembly and one Senate committee. It's now before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

AB 350 would require newly hired contract service providers, such as window washers, to hire the employees of the previous service provider. This is no joke. The new contractor would have to keep the previous contractor's employees on the job for at least 90 days. This union-supported Assembly bill (Jose Solorio, D-Santa Ana) would amend the 10-year-old Displaced Janitor Opportunity Act to add new categories of protected workers: window washers, landscape workers, licensed security, and cafeteria and dietary services.

The bill will neither add jobs nor help business. In fact, AB 350 will create a possible disincentive for smaller contractors to seek out new jobs because success would mean hiring new workers that the company might not be able to pay - unless, in some cases, it lays off a corresponding number of its own, existing workers. It could also split workers between two employers, forcing them to choose one at a potential loss of overall hours. Sometimes the Legislature needs to manage the economy a little. Sometimes the Legislature needs to back off and leave well enough alone. This is one such case.

When I’m cleanin’ windows - Anyone following recent housing developments in Weymouth and Portland will be aware of the growing trend for blocks of flats. Old businesses or large perfectly sound family homes in their own grounds are being demolished to make way for this type of accommodation. If you buy such a home on the ground floor then cleaning windows is not a problem but first floor homes require a decent ladder and second floor flats are really dodgy if you don’t like heights. So how do you clean homes on the fifth floor if you don’t have swivel windows? I came across the answer the other day when, from a distance, I saw what looked like a man trying to push a building over with a stick. Closer inspection revealed him to be a window cleaner and he was working 40ft up the side of one block… all while stood comfortably on the ground. The state of the art rod he was using transported water up to a brush which he was working back and forth across each window to clean it. He was quite cheery about what he was doing and said he hadn’t fully extended his equipment and still had several feet in reserve. Then he made passers-by smile and me chuckle by adding: “You know, you’re not the first person to talk to me about the size of my pole!”

Body in Eel River identified as missing Santa Rosa man: The body found in the Eel River last month is a Santa Rosa man who may have been the victim of a homicide, authorities confirmed Wednesday, Aug. 3. Edward Burton Jensen Jr., a 54-year-old man who had been living in Blocksburg, had been missing since April. The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office identified Jensen in a press release sent out last Wednesday. ”Investigation into the circumstances of Jensen’s death is ongoing,” the release said. Jensen was last seen at a rural residence in the Larabee Creek subdivision area of Blocksburg, walking away from the residence after an argument with another subject. His body was discovered on July 28 in the river off of the 2400 block of Dyerville Loop Road.

Responding deputies reportedly located the body in a small pool of water on a stump in the river. It appeared that the body had been in the river for a while. Jensen’s father, Edward Jensen Sr. of Santa Rosa, told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat that the coroner’s office contacted him last Wednesday to confirm his son’s identity. Jensen Sr. said his son grew up in Santa Rosa and graduated from Montgomery High School. The elder Jensen said he last spoke with his son on April 14, two days before he went missing. ”It’s just a terrible thing. We just found out a couple of days ago that he was the victim of a homicide,” he told the Press Democrat. He said his son had been living in Blocksburg with a relative. He had worked as a window cleaner in Sonoma County, but it’s unclear whether he held a job at the time of his death. His father couldn’t think of any reason why anyone would want to harm his son. He said he was an avid fisherman who enjoyed spending time at the river.

Two years ago, Ms. Joseph, an architect in her 50s, and Dr. Ravetch, 60, an immunologist at Rockefeller University, wanted a new garden on the terrace of their Midtown Manhattan penthouse. The previous garden had been demolished to fix a leaky roof, and the 720-square-foot space was bleak and bare: covered in concrete pavers, it was empty except for the davits (I-beams that hold the pulleys attached to window-washing platforms) in each corner.

The couple wanted a garden on wheels that would move to accommodate the window washers, who need access to the terrace. They envisioned a functional space where they could not only entertain friends and have barbecues with their family — Ms. Joseph’s teenage son and daughter from her second marriage, who live with them, and Dr. Ravetch’s two sons from his first marriage — but also wash the mud off their two golden retrievers after a weekend at their home in the Hudson Valley. The total cost of the garden was in the “high five figures,” Ms. Joseph said, but it was money well spent. “It’s formally elegant, and it’s whimsical.”

APG Asset Management US is a subsidiary of the Dutch based APG, based in New York. It manages US pension fund assets of $60 billion (May 2011). APG carries out collective pension schemes for participants in the education, government, and construction sectors; cleaning and window-cleaning companies; housing corporations; and energy and utility companies. APG manages pension assets of approximately 280 billion euros in total (May 2011) for these sectors. Neither APG Asset Management US nor APG provide advisory services to persons in the United States. APG works for over 30,000 Dutch employers and provides for the income of around 4.5 million Dutch participants.

Restored Metrodome gets ready to meet public - Window washers clean the glass on luxury boxes in the stadium. Since the roof's collapse, the Metrodome has been an outdoor stadium in much of the winter, spring and summer. Window washers are cleaning the glass in front of the luxury boxes, workers are putting out folding chairs and construction crews are sealing the seams in the roof.

The parents of a six-year-old girl have spoken of their shock and anger after she was viciously attacked in a busy Watford supermarket. Afternoon shoppers watched in disbelief as little Tilly Bennell was repeatedly punched and slapped by a large man in his 30s. The unprovoked assault took place in Iceland, in Albert Road South, shortly after 5pm last Thursday afternoon as her mother, Jackie, waited to pay for shopping. The “20 stone” attacker, who has mental health problems, landed several blows on the terrified child as her 12-year-old sister, Olivia, bravely tried to protect her.

Mr Bennell, a window cleaner, said serious questions had to be answered about how his daughter’s attacker – a man with severe behavioural problems – was allowed to do what he did and still be released on bail. He said: “One of the policemen who spoke to us afterwards said the man had done this before back in 2008 to a child that was even younger than Tilly. He should be locked up – I would be distraught to find out that this had happened to anybody else.” The arrested man was interviewed by officers yesterday afternoon but had not been charged at the time of going to press.

Leeds United: My Whites playing days - Martin Dickinson, now 48, is remembered by Leeds United fans as a tough-tackling, no-nonsense defender, also able to play the enforcer’s role in midfield and a true 100 per center of his time. The ex-Foxwood School pupil was the envy of his classmates after following in the footsteps of fellow attendee David Harvey to realise his boyhood dream of playing for his hometown club, while earlier representing both Leeds City Boys and West Yorkshire Boys. Dickinson made 119 appearances in all competitions for the club before switching to West Bromwich Albion in February 1996. Dickinson eventually headed to the Midlands when top-flight strugglers West Brom snapped him up for £40,000 – on the same day that then United boss Billy Bremner signed Brendan Ormsby from neighbouring Aston Villa. He made over fifty appearances for the Baggies in a productive two-and-a-half year spell before heading back to Yorkshire when former Sheffield United chief Dave Bassett signed him in July 1988 - and not too long after, his career unravelled after a serious car crash.

I just thought: ‘Why has it happened to me with three young kids?’. I just that I have to just get on with my life now, it’s happened and I can’t do anything about it. “I started selling sportswear. I actually got in touch with Aidan Butterworth who worked for Adidas. That kept me going for a couple of years, but that eventually went under because the trade in Nottingham and Leicester (where I covered) just went with all the factories. “I then ended up cleaning windows, but I fell off the ladder straightaway and thought I’d broken my ankle as I couldn’t walk for about ten weeks. Ronnie Moore, manager at Rotherham United, then called me up and got me fit and I did a lot of work in the treatment room. “I’m still doing the windows now and putting fascias on houses up with my son. It’s steady-away....

Fire Blotter: Aug. 22 - On Aug. 13, a man fell off a ladder while pressure washing a roof. He landed on his chest on top of the pressure washer. Medics transported him to the hospital for a possible broken rib.

The embarrassment of Wii Fit - Being a gentleman with his finger firmly on the pulse of modern technology, I recently purchased a Wii Fit, the popular video console accessory first released about four years ago and possibly on the verge of being discontinued. Although it no doubt pales in comparison to the latest mind-controlled, tweet-powered thingamajig currently getting kids giddy, it is a remarkably clever contraption. What I didn't realise was just how obnoxious the Wii Fit would be. Before you can get the games going (and embarrass yourself in front of the window cleaners, something I accomplished a day later), it must conduct a "body test", checking your weight and centre of balance to offer an overall fitness level.

Wilson Access adds more CTE’s - UK based Wilson Access Hire of Elland, West Yorkshire has purchased two new 21 metre CTE Zed21J truck mounted lifts. The new units were purchased to meet increased demand that the company is seeing for self-drive truck mounted lifts, particularly from sectors such as window cleaning, gutter maintenance and sign installation. The new models on 3.5 tonne Nissan Cabstar chassis, feature a dual sigma type riser with perfect parallel lift from a working height of around three metres up to over 11 metres, ideal for window and fascia cleaning. It also includes a 2.1 metre articulated jib, up to 10 metres working outreach and 360 degrees continuous slew.

Injury forced powerhouse Paul Wood to retire from the UK's 105kg Strongest Man finals in Whitstable on Sunday: The 40-year-old Whitstable window cleaner was hoping to retain the title he won last year but tore a bicep muscle in the first event while pulling a 4x4 car. He tried to continue but the injury was too severe and he was forced to watch the rest of the contest from the side lines. He was among 13 strongmen from around the country battling for the title at Whitstable Rugby Club. It was a painful and frustrating exit for Paul who had previously announced it would be his last contest. He said: "I'm gutted because I had trained hard for the event, was injury free for the first time in ages and felt confident. "I also wanted to put on a good show for all the people who turned out to support me." Strongman training is notoriously tough on the body and Paul was one of four of the 14 finalists from around the country who had to retire through injury. The contest was eventually won by Adam Bishop from the Midlands who picked up the £300 first prize and a sea kayak donated by Whitstable Marine.

Bogus window cleaner conned victims to pay for drugs: A bogus window cleaner, who conned people into paying for work he had not done in order to fund his drug habit, has been placed on a Drug Treatment and Testing Order for 18 months. Steven Walton victims included an 82-year old woman from whom he stole £1000 after she gave him her bank card and pin number and a 73-year old woman who gave him £20. Walton, 36, a prisoner in Saughton, had pleaded guilty previously at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to stealing the £1000 between March 13 and March 21 this year; to obtaining £5, £10 and £20 by fraud on April 18; and stealing £15 from a house on the same day. Fiscal Depute, John Kirk, told Sheriff Alistair Noble that Walton was estranged from his family, but his father, who had a window cleaning business, allowed him to sleep in his van from time to time.

Walton had helped his father with the window cleaning on occasions in the past. Walton went to the 82-year old woman's home and asked for money, but she had no money on her and she asked him to assist her in getting cash from an ATM. She gave him her bank card and the pin number which he then used on a number of occasions. The Fiscal added that Walton had two minor previous convictions. Defence solicitor, Angus McLennan, said the 82-year old woman had become suspicious and contacted the police and another customer realised that Walton was not their regular window cleaner, when the real man turned up looking for his money.

Walton, said Mr McLennan, knew that it was often the practice for window cleaners to clean windows and return for payment at a later stage. His client had met the 82-year old in the course of helping his father. She had given him her bank card and the pin number willingly, he said. "It was an opportunistic theft. The temptation proved too much for him". The solicitor added that Walton had had a heroin addiction since the age of 17. As for going round other houses, Mr McLennan said Walton had been "Simply chancing his luck by knocking on doors of homes he knew his father had cleaned windows."

Walton's father, said Mr McLennan, was very disappointed by his son's actions which had caused a great deal of embarrassment and impacted on his window cleaning business. He had refunded the money taken from people on his round. The solicitor said the father had not known about the theft from the 82-year old woman.

Window-cleaning business opens - Tom and Gloria Rokosz have opened Fish Window Cleaning, 1481 Dean Forest Road, Building 100, Suite C1. The new business is the 231st Fish location and provides window cleaning services to commercial and residential customers in Savannah, Thunderbolt, Tybee Island, Pooler, Garden City and Port Wentworth, as well as Bluffton and Hilton Head, S.C.

Spring Hill residents Nicole and Jeff Burrows have acquired a Window Genie franchise to serve Hernando County and surrounding areas. Prior to moving to Spring Hill, the Burrows lived in Atlanta and Tampa. Jeff Burrows spent the past 13 years as a sales manager in the commercial food service industry; Nicole Burrows worked in office administration. Best known for window cleaning that includes a "no streak" guarantee, Window Genie also offers other home services such as window tinting, deck and fence cleaning, concrete and brick cleaning and sealing, house washing, gutter clean-out, gutter protection, tile and grout cleaning and solar shades.

Glass industry organizations join together to address life cycle assessment: The American Architectural Manufacturers Association, Glass Association of North America, Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance and Window and Door Manufacturers Association have joined together to collectively address life cycle assessment of fenestration products. "LCA has become a critical component in clearly determining how environmentally friendly a product is by fully analyzing its effectiveness over its entire life cycle," says Rich Walker, president and CEO of AAMA.

LCA is being used by organizations including the National Institute of Standards Technology to rate building products and complete buildings. "It is important for the fenestration industry as a whole to understand the critical assumptions included in the NIST Sustainability Calculator, as these assumptions form the basis for the development of window Product Category Rules that will be the guidelines for developing specific LCA values through [Environmental Product Declarations]," Walker says. "This work provides the foundation for standardizing and analyzing the environmental performance credentials of windows. The group's initial meeting output included two tables populated with critical assumptions for the NIST Sustainability Calculator. These assumptions included U-factors and SHGC, along with window type, operability and window-to-wall ratios for model building types. It is imperative that all industry voices are heard and contribute to this building block for the EPDs.

"The four industry organizations signed a memorandum of understanding in late June, creating the Window Industry Ad Hoc PCR Task Group. "The task group serves as a discussion forum, and the meetings are considered informal with voting only taking place on procedural items. WDMA and AAMA rotate in the facilitator role every three months," Walker says. The next step for the task group is collecting data from industry companies, as representative members from the four organizations will be sent confidential questionnaires to gather LCA data. The task group will meet twice monthly via conference call to discuss questions on the submitted data and "plan for the next stage in the process," Walker says.

Are you my new sugar daddy? At the Hudson Terrace on Monday night, women slunk about in skintight dresses, showing ample cleavage and nibbling on complimentary snacks. Many of the ladies were drinking water; despite the $40 entrance fee — $80 for men — there was no open bar. Most New York gals have no problem shelling out $16 of their own money for a cocktail, but these women were having none of that. When you’re at a function whose sole purpose is to match so-called “sugar daddies” with their prospective “sugar babies,” you expect the gentlemen to pick up the bar tab — and a whole lot more. Manning the periphery of the room were career-counseling vendors (there for the women, according to Brandon Wade, founder and CEO of Seeking-Arrangement.com), plastic surgery reps and, more mysteriously, window-cleaner salesmen. About 400 people registered for the mixer. It was a huge turnout, according to Wade, who says that 100,000 of the current 800,000 members of Seeking Arrangement are based in the NYC area.

Melbourne, Australia - Koroit robber armed and ready to strike again: Robber Martin Driver was so pleased with his success at Koroit’s ANZ bank that he soon started planning further raids. He attended the Terang racecourse twice on race days, watched the operations surround the cash being collected at the track and followed the security guard responsible for carrying the cash in order to learn his movements. Driver also discussed targeting the Commonwealth Bank by posing as a window cleaner. He told the covert operative he believed they could get at least $100,000, and maybe up to $300,000 or $400,000. He also discussed tying up the staff members and waiting while the time delay on the safe opened.

Cold callers warned away from Lakenham area: Police in Lakenham are warning them to stay away after a scheme was set up in Old School Court - an area that has previously seen people suffer at the hands of bogus callers. Officers from the Lakenham and Tuckswood Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) worked in partnership with Norfolk County Council’s Trading Standards team to create the zone after concerns were raised from those living in the area. There had been reports of a number of cold calling incidents in the Bracondale area last year, including one where a man walked into the home of an 85-year-old woman offering window cleaning services before leaving the address after being challenged. This was linked to a series of distraction burglaries in the Bowthorpe, Earlham and Lakenham areas and following an investigation a 34-year-old man was convicted of the offences and jailed for six years. Now around 30 houses in the semi-sheltered housing complex have signed up to the scheme. PCSO Joanna Longstaff said: “The visible presence of a No Cold Calling Zone helps deter potential cold callers and also shows communities are willing to work together to reduce crime. “Residents have been given advice on what to do if they are visited by bogus callers and as a result feel reassured and more confident about their home security.”

Brattleboro — If it’s possible to separate a community’s spirit from its soul, then it seems Brattleboro has lost some of the former while clinging to the latter. A driver for Connecticut River Transit Inc. for the past two years, Jack didn’t want to give his last name, but says he used to be known as the “whistling window washer.” He washed windows downtown for nearly 40 years, and says changes to his hometown should be measured in decades, not months. “It’s a very diverse and eclectic town and continues to be so,” he says. But he’s been watching a gradual shift from community to individualism, where people don’t look out for each other like in the past. The fire hurt, he says, but the shooting two weeks ago was much more chilling. “That really took the wind out of people’s sails,” Jack says.

Japanese Tsunami & Earthquake Brings Us Back To Reality

Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis: An 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan today, triggering tsunamis that sent a wave filled with boats and houses toward land. Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast were under a tsunami warning as well.

Using Air Force planes, the U.S. government has sent over coolant for the Fukushima nuclear plant, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday. Japan's officials say a small radiation leak could occur at the plant after Friday's earthquake and tsunami. According to the official count by Japan's National Police, at least 151 people have been killed, 722 have been injured and 530 are missing after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on Friday. Additionally, between 200 and 300 bodies have been found in the coastal city of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture following the subsequent tsunami that struck that area. The official death toll is likely to rise. 

The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history struck off the island nation's shore on Friday, collapsing buildings, touching off widespread fires and unleashing walls of water up to 30 feet high. The waves swept across rice fields, engulfed towns, dragged houses onto highways, tossed cars and boats like toys - reaching as far about six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's east coast.

A local university professor was in Tokyo when a magnitude 8.9 earthquake slammed the island nation. Dr. William M. Tsutsui, Dean of Dedman College at Southern Methodist University, said he was on a bus outside a major hotel at about 2:45 p.m. when the ground began to violently shake. Buildings swayed and people ran out into the streets, he said. In fact, he watched as a window-washing team on a platform hanging from a skyscraper was repeatedly slammed into the side of the building. "It seemed like it went on forever," Tsutsui said. "It was really pretty scary." Despite having weathered several earthquakes while living in Japan in the past, he said he had never felt such a strong one.

Tsunami warning: Ventura residents turn out to catch a glimpse of currents - In Ventura, dozens of onlookers were gathered on the oceanfront promenade and nearby parking garage, hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the unusual currents or surge in waves. Shortly after 9 a.m., water started receding along the coast by as much as 40 yards, exposing tidepools, rocks and mud. Experts say that this is typical of tsunamis; first the water is sucked out and then comes roaring back. David Rashi, a window washer at Eric Ericsson’s seafood restaurant on the closed Ventura Pier, took it all in stride. “Tsunami or not, life goes on and bills must get paid.”

Japan earthquake: from 26 floors up inside a swaying skyscraper: There were a few gasps around the office and the nervous smiles were replaced with expressions of real shock. The movement in the floors continued to grow in strength and people started holding on to desks and walls in order to steady themselves.
I was walking towards the windows as people were remarking that the tall buildings opposite were swaying noticeably. Even worse, on the outside of one of these towers was a window-cleaning crew in a cradle suspended by cables, swinging quite dramatically. It later emerged that both workers were unharmed, and that one of the building residents had opened a window so they were able to steady themselves by clinging to the window-frame.
As I made my way over, I noticed that the huge floor-to-ceiling windows in our office were flexing in and out, and looked like they could explode at any moment. As the waves of movement became increasingly violent, it was getting harder to walk in a straight line. Earthquake alarms began to go off all over the building, announcing in English and Japanese that we should crawl underneath our desks, which some people began to do.

The earthquake affected people as far away from Japan as Cherokee County, where two local families are relieved to know that their loved ones are safe. Rita Ballard of Jacksonville and her daughter, Tiffany, were scheduled to leave Sunday for Tokyo to see Tiffany’s husband, professional baseball player Micah Hoffpauir. Mr. Hoffpauir is an infielder with the Hokkaido Nippon- Ham Fighters, who were in Tokyo training for the upcoming Nippon Professional Baseball season. Mr. Hoffpauir and the rest of the Fighters were staying in a hotel in Tokyo when the earthquake hit, with the epicenter near Sendai, 232 miles away. “Micah had been told that there would be window washers at the hotel that day,” Mrs. Ballard said. “When he heard the early rumbling of the quake, his first thought was the window washers. “Then, the building began to sway as the ground shook. At that moment, he knew it was an earthquake.”

Free Flyer Creator (Today Only) + Window Cleaning News

Giveaway of the Day - Easy Flyer Creator 2.0: You have till 6 a.m. GMT (London Time) tomorrow to download for free. Easy Flyer Creator is easy to use desktop publishing software that help you to design, create and print flyers, brochures, leaflets, certificates, photo frames, tickets, door hangers from templates in just 5 minutes! You are provided with more then 100 Free Templates. Easy Flyer Creator is the best way to create, print and share interactive flyers, brochures, leaflets and other marketing material: after making flyers you can Print and Share the Documents via FTP and Email. Sorry - windows only. Info' here. Download here.

 Winter weather: Will Scott of Capital Window Cleaning washes off the glass canopy of the TD Tower building on Westmorland Street in Fredericton on Friday afternoon. Friday's storm, which dropped between 20 and 30 centimetres of snow on the Fredericton area, left many people as they woke up this morning facing a task that's become all too familiar this winter - cleaning out plugged driveways.

Consett man sets up Scott's Access Training: A former oil rig worker has started his own business to train people how to safely climb rigs and skyscrapers. Andy Scott from Consett, County Durham, set up Scott’s Access Training to teach people how to use a rope and harness to manoeuvre around the outside of high buildings. Andy, who worked on the oil rigs for 14 years, said: “Rope access training is for any person or business where the work would be made easier by being able to get up and down the side of a building using a rope and harness. “I mostly train people who want to work on the oil rigs because it is a highly desirable skill for that industry. But we also train people like window cleaners who need better access to large buildings.” He has received Government accreditation for the training he provides, alongside other members of his family. Wife Rose runs the office and two of their children have also taken the training for their jobs in the offshore industry. “The certificate we provide gives people the chance to earn much higher salaries on the oil rigs and, for those onshore, it can really widen the scope for their business.”

Few people can say they have gone from window cleaner to mayor. But Rex Griffin has done just that. Cr Griffin was the late Brian Naylor’s window cleaner in the 1980s when he owned Griffin’s Window Cleaning business. He cleaned windows and drove taxies before and after his 9-5 job in the Australian Public Service. It was the only way he could afford to send his children to his school of choice. “It wasn’t so uncommon to work two or three jobs in those days,” Cr Griffin said. “The window cleaning and my football umpiring was how a lot of people up here got to know me.” His position as Whittlesea Mayor entitles him to an annual salary of almost $89,000, which includes the use of a council vehicle.

For 33 years, Cr Griffin worked in various federal government departments. In the 1980s, he was a medical fraud investigator, and a social security undercover investigator during the ‘90s. “I’d be sitting out the front of cafes looking a real sight, in thongs and T-shirt, with an earpiece in my ear,” he said. The extra money helped pay his $30,000 home loan, which, he said, “was like a noose around my neck”.

He and wife Hazel bought their Epping family home in 1980 and have lived there since. They raised two sons and two daughters and mourned the death of their eldest son, Matthew, in 2009. Cr Griffin is a life member of the Wye River Surf Life Saving Club and was its president from 1992 until 1996. In 1990, he was elected to Whittlesea Council. “Every time I’ve been voted back in, I’ve always had the most votes,” Cr Griffin said.

The Excuse is Gone - Healthy exercise by doing simple chores around the house: "Next time you dread the thought of window cleaning time, remember it's another way to burn calories and work your upper body." According to the American Institute of Reboundology, 2 of the top 10 reasons people don't exercise are exercise boredom and perception that exercise is too difficult. But, in reality, both of these objections really are just myths based on bad information or previous bad experiences - perceptions. 3. Cleaning windows. Raise your hand if your windows are less than "clear"! Sure, cleaning windows is not the most fun activity but one that almost all of us need to do a few times a year. Next time you dread the thought of window cleaning time, remember it's another way to burn calories and work your upper body.

Support for self-employed and small firms vital to drive recovery: The recent Finance Act imposed the highest marginal tax rate on Ireland's self- employed and small companies, and these are the people who must be supported if the economy is to grow again, the president of the Irish Taxation Institute, Andrew Cullen, told its annual dinner last night. "The marginal rate of tax for self-employed individuals is 3pc higher than an employee on an equivalent salary. Tax policies must encourage, not punish, entrepreneurship," Mr Cullen said. Mr Cullen challenged the remarks of German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Ireland's low corporate tax is in some way linked to the property crisis. "It only serves to bring additional pressures on Ireland at a time when we need certainty and confidence in order to keep inward investment and encourage growth," he said. "The issue of the corporate tax rates and a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base will be under the spotlight yet again next month as EU leaders prepare for two major EU summits. Click the picture if you're Irish!

Medford - The owner of a Washington Township window cleaning service has been charged with stealing jewelry from his customers' homes. Mark Tonelli, owner of Magic Window Cleaning Company, was arrested Thursday morning and charged with stealing about $7,500 worth of jewelry from a Medford home on Dec. 6, 2010, police said. Tonelli had been hired by the homeowner to clean the house's windows. Tonelli also faces on similar charges of theft out of Haddonfield and Harrison Township, police said.

Gnome-lover locks up gnomes: Gnome-lover Ron Broomfield has been on high alert, fearing for the safety of 1,700 little friends since the hit animated movie Gnomeo And Juliet came out. The 76-year-old, who answers the phone ‘Ron the gnome’, has locked hundreds of his diminutive buddies inside. ‘I’ve got the ones in the front garden set in concrete and the smaller ones have been brought into the house,’ said Ron, of Alford, Lincolnshire. He said the odd one or two had ‘gone for a walk’ before and he was taking no chances with the success of the 3D film voiced by James McAvoy and Emily Blunt. Broomfield, a retired window cleaner, is said to dress up as a gnome at least twice a week. 'I've always loved them and had the beard since I was in my 20s when I started my gnome collection back then,' said Broomfield.

Recipe for an empty storefront: The corner windows of the Placer Market and Bakery are big enough to reveal the spacious emptiness inside — the bare shelves and unused oven and fliers advertising now-irrelevant baked good prices. As for recent business, Hanson said the bakery had been making it, despite the cold winter weather, and was gearing up for heavy traffic in the summer.  On Jan. 12, the Placer Downtown, LLC, locked the bakery out of its premises after terminating its lease. According to the complaint the bakery owners filed two days later, this action was “intended to cause the bakery to fail, or to gain leverage to force unpermitted ease modifications upon the Bakery.” The shop was not without its financial problems, however. Kleen King, Inc., filed a complaint in October stating that it was never paid for more than $1,000 of window cleaning and floor maintenance services it completed at the shop in June. Van’s Thriftway has “Placer Market” on the list of entities from which it doesn’t accept checks. Williams admitted in an interview that with the bakery closed, the business itself doesn’t have money to spend. But with inquiring calls coming in on a regular basis, the couple wants to make one thing clear. “People are assuming the bakery failed and it did not,” Hanson said.

ACCIDENT, CHAGRIN BOULEVARD: A Columbus man, 29, was not seriously injured on Feb. 14 just before 3 p.m. when the 2003 Ford van he was driving, owned by a window cleaning company, hit an icy patch in the roadway and slid off the north side of the roadway, striking a large rock in a yard and then coming to rest on top of the rock.

Pembrokeshire tradesmen warned about parking on double yellow lines: Pembrokeshire's new parking regime means an end to the days when tradesmen parked on double yellow lines with a note on their windscreen. Now they will have to pay at least £25 if their work means that their vehicles have to be left in ‘no parking’ areas – or risk a fine. Builders, window cleaners, removal men†and glaziers are among the trades who may be granted parking waivers or dispensations by Pembrokeshire County Council. They will need to apply three days in advance, paying a £15, non-refundable fee. If the application is allowed, they will then be charged £10 for each space required.

Knowing how council spends your money - priceless: Every time more than £500 is spent, information about the purchase must be made available for public scrutiny. And items for October and November 2010 can now be viewed online here. Meanwhile, £755 was spent on window cleaning at the Think Tank, in Ruston Way, Lincoln. A further £2,469 was spent on internal cleaning. Communications manager at the City of Lincoln Council Chris Dunbar said the authority would continue to publish monthly data as part of its commitment to greater transparency. "The data list also does not list our income, which often offsets costs, particularly in relation to running our buildings and other facilities. "Our aim is to provide value for money and to obtain the best value on everything we purchase and our annual published accounts show that we consistently achieve this." Unison's regional head of local government Andy Belfield said: "The simple fact is that for every £1 councils spend, 60p goes into the local economy, which is one of the reasons we are so concerned about rushing through council cuts.

OSHA fines company $70,000 for Hollywood water tower accident: Federal safety officials have imposed a $70,000 fine on the company that was refurbishing the city's water tower in October, when two workers were seriously hurt. Investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration noted that the St. Augustine-based M Brothers Paintings Inc. had 15 safety violations when a scaffold collapsed and sent the two men tumbling into the empty tower. The workers, Meliso Valderrabano, 22, of Jacksonville, and Carlos Bustamante, 43, of Houston, were hospitalized for a few weeks after a dramatic, six-hour rescue operation. They have since left South Florida and could not be reached for comment Tuesday, when the fine imposed on Feb. 17 was announced. The two were performing scheduled maintenance at the tower on Sheridan Street near Interstate 95. They were standing on a swinging scaffold like the ones window cleaners use when one of the sides gave way inside the tower, sending the men to the bottom of the tank, officials said.

Home Improvement Projects You Should Never DIY: The anemic housing market and weak economy has forced many homeowners to take on home improvement projects on their own. But even if you’re handy around the house, there are some things better left to the professionals. We checked in with contracting experts nationwide to find the home improvement or renovation projects you should not attempt without the help of an experienced contractor. Cleaning the Gutters - “First of all you should never be on a ladder without someone standing there in case you fall,” advises Kavovit. “When things are uneven, like the turf in your front yard, that can throw the ladder off.” Many homeowners aren’t proactive when it comes to cleaning the gutters and wait until leaks form. Having it done two or three times a year should prevent any major last minute catastrophes during a rainstorm “Don’t wait until you notice leaks occurring in your basement or you look outside and see your gutters filled with water and leaves,” Kavovit said. “It’s dangerous getting out there and fixing things during bad weather.”

An odd-job man stabbed and battered an 88-year-old great-grandmother (pictured) to death and stripped the jewellery from her fingers, the Old Bailey has heard. Daniel Franklin, of Felixstowe Road, Abbey Wood, is accused of murdering Irene Barrett, who he had known since his childhood, in a “vicious and prolonged” attack at her home. Jurors heard she either caught him stealing her money or refused to give him any when he visited her 15th floor flat in Valiant House, Charlton.Mrs Barrett’s son told the jury that he had warned her to stay away from Franklin. David Barrett said: “I was told we had this problem with missing money and she said she had concerns about the window cleaner. “I only knew him as Danny. I said I would clean her windows and she should tell him she didn't need his services anymore.” He added: 'She expressed surprise at the number of occasions he visited, not just to clean the windows.' Mr Barrett described his mother as a “very friendly, welcoming person”. Mrs Barrett has also mentioned the missing money and her concerns about Franklin to her granddaughters Lisa Reid and Karen Burgess, the court heard. Mrs Reid told jurors: “She said something like ‘I'm fine but I think Danny, the one that cleans my windows, he's been nicking my money’. “She said he must have been doing it for years and people had told her not to accuse him of it.

Beware the carpet cleaning hard sell: New Forest residents are being alerted to a carpet cleaning ‘promotion’ which could leave them out of pocket. Hampshire County Council’s Trading Standards service has investigated complaints from householders about the hard-sell tactics used by a Dorset cleaning company. A low-cost promotion is offered, but depending on what services are carried out, the final price can greatly increase. Many home owners feel pressurised into accepting a higher price after the carpet cleaning technician demonstrates different services in the home. The Safer New Forest Partnership advises householders and business owners to be wary of carpet cleaning offers after a number of cases recently involving local people. It advises against dealing with cold callers at the door or by telephone. Anybody considering having work done can use Hampshire County Council’s Buy with Confidence Scheme, which recommends approved local traders. Cold calling puts unwanted pressure on householders – just say no to this sales approach.” The Safer New Forest Partnership has free No Cold Calling window stickers available.

Barry man escapes New Zealand earthquake: A Barry man has narrowly escaped being caught up in the devastating earthquake that has left more than 75 people dead in Christchurch, New Zealand. Window cleaner and magistrate John Viney, of Cadoxton, was on a two-week tour and had stopped in the South Island city before returning to Wales. shallow depth of 5km (3.1 miles) on Tuesday lunchtime and has become the country's most deadly natural disaster in 80 years. John, speaking from Sydney Airport in Australia on Tuesday - the day news of the tragedy broke, said: "I had been in Christchurch for the previous four days, staying in a hotel and visiting all these places now damaged. "I left there to fly to Sydney and missed it by 12 hours. "I can't believe the pictures I am watching at Sydney Airport. "The hotel I was in looks bad."

Oscars 2011: Even the Losers Get $75,000-plus in Swag Bag - You don’t have to bring home the gold to win at the Oscars. The losing nominees will get a gift bag worth more than $75,000 (perhaps much more) in a swag bag titled “Everybody Wins at the Oscars.” The bags are delivered the next day so nominees don’t have to carry the booty around at the Academy Awards and parties and will make even losing more bearable to these saddened souls. We are not sure which of the following items are delivered separately, but the basic package contains most of the following:

The losing stars will have no shortage of places to go to drown their sorrows. They will get a $12,000 Belize getaway in Cayo Espanto — a private island, a $5,000 all-inclusive week-long fitness retreat from Live In Fitness Enterprise and a $16,000 all-inclusive getaway to Huvafen Fushi luxury resort in the Maldives compliments of Premier Tours. They can entertain themselves with their new Motorola Zoom Tablet. The winners get a secret bag that is worth twice the price to reportedly include 21 stays, three nights each, at a luxury hotel, according to LA Weekly.  A $151,200 value, though we could not confirm this one. If so, it raises the value of the package to nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

There are a dozen other curious gifts like all-natural dog-cleaning supplies, including “Doggie Slobber Window & Glass Cleaner.” Since many of them have been getting other pricey goodie bags all week, it pays to be a loser. Not bad for being a bridesmaid, not a bride on Oscar night.

Earthpawz products will be Hollywood-bound again, this time to be presented to 27 Oscar nominees in baskets arranged by Present Times on Charing Cross Street. “I never expected to be part of something that is sort of, so Hollywood, especially when you start out with something that’s all about the environment and your dog,” de St. Croix said. “I’m really honoured to be picked to be in the gift bags and just excited to have that kind of exposure and be recognized as a great green product.” Earthpawz environmentally friendly cleaning products have been gaining a following since de St. Croix began formulating them in September 2010. Initially available in 40 pet stores across Canada, the product line is now being sold in 700 stores throughout Canada and the United States. “I think the biggest thing that makes it stand out is that the formulation works so well,” she said. “The first thing I hear back from people who try it is how fantastic it works. The benefit that it is toxic-free is such a big one, but people are actually using something that works better than what they were using before.” Earthpawz products are specific to pets and the messes they leave.

ORANGE PARK, Florida: The case of a toddler who was largely unharmed after falling from a second-story window is closed. A 2-year-old boy fell around 5:30 p.m. Saturday at a home on the 300 block of Sunstone Court in Orange Park, according to the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Investigators said the toddler fell out the window but was unharmed. The mother of the boy had been cleaning the home, when she opened the windows to clear fumes from the air. She went to work shortly afterwards and left her husband watching the children.

This one is lost on me - American humor? It was just a normal day in the life of a window washer. He had been cleaning windows for three hours with no near end in sight. As he was looking into the office he was cleaning he saw a man stealing some material from the safe...