Window Cleaning News & Photos

Tim McGraw, Bob Burns and Bill Davis, from PJ’s Window Cleaning Inc., of Plains Township, clean the glass at PNC Bank on West Market Street in Wilkes-Barre on Monday. Temperatures didn’t get above 40 Monday, and will remain in the 40s today, but they’ll be pushing 60 on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Click to enlarge.

With the pylons of Bartle Hall in the background, a window cleaning crew from MTB Services worked Monday to make sure the Sprint Center looked its best for this week's Big 12 basketball tournaments. The window cleaners rapel from the top of the building and clean on their way down. Games tip off on Wednesday with the men playing in the Sprint Center and the women playing in Municipal Auditorium.

Paul Stamm of MTB Services of Grandview, Mo., was part of a crew washing the windows Monday afternoon Feb. 27, 2012 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. They started out in the morning on the outside of the panes and then moved to the inside. It takes about two weeks for them to do the annual window cleaning on the arena. Click to enlarge.

Party prep: Bill Berry of the Columbus Window Cleaning Co. makes the glass shine at the Columbus Convention Center. The center was being spruced up yesterday for the city’s bicentennial party. Click to enlarge.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/28/1892954/the-days-best-022812.html#storylink=cpy

FLUORESCENT safety clothing is becoming bizarrely ubiquitous: They are everywhere. Police, security officers, postal workers, courier drivers, on-foot delivery staff, truck drivers, window cleaners, tree loppers, council workers, cleaners, rubbish collectors, electricity, water and gas maintenance and installation staff, meter readers and parking inspectors are among the many employees now required to wear yellow, orange or lime green clothing. And the insidious spread continues. Last week I met a city office worker who is required by his management to wear a yellow jacket when he goes outside to have a cigarette or when he walks to the deli to buy lunch. I know a salesman who has been told to wear a yellow safety jacket when he goes to his car in the office car park. Where will it finish?

Gardus Inc. today announced the availability of its latest product, the VertaLok(TM) Rotary Gutter Cleaning System. This innovative tool provides an effective solution to an age-old maintenance problem for homeowners - all done without stepping foot on a ladder. The product utilizes ultra-light, extendable pole sections with an internal rotary drive and water channel. The poles connect to your cordless drill and garden hose for a speedy and complete removal and rinse process. The combination of rotary power and non-rotary tools with built-in water jet nozzles makes the toughest gutter cleaning jobs a breeze, while helping to prevent problems from clogged gutters that may include roof leaks, mold growth, insects, iced walkways in winter, and damage to your home interior, foundation, wood fascia, siding, basement and landscaping. The aluminum drive poles in the system reach up to 12 feet and are extremely strong yet weigh only 12.8 ounces each. The product also includes a mounting bracket for your digital camera which enables photo or video inspection from ground level before or after cleaning; and a Flow-Thru Threaded Adapter that can be used with a variety of common cleaning brushes, painting tools and window washing attachments to perform many additional jobs around the home. A 6-Foot Extension Pole Kit is sold separately for higher reach.

A man repeatedly punched a neighbour about the head the morning after he complained that loud music was ruining his television viewing. Anthony Bonney, a 56-year-old window cleaner, of Langdale Road, Mereside, pleaded guilty to assault. He was given an 18-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 costs by Blackpool magistrates, who said they believed Bonney had been provoked. Martine Connah, prosecuting, said his victim and his partner had friends round for drinks on February 11 and were playing music. Bonney, who lived in the flat upstairs, arrived at about 10pm and complained he could not hear the television programme he was watching because of the music. The victim agreed to turn the music down and the guests left around midnight. The next morning, a Sunday, at 9am Bonney again arrived at the flat. There was an argument and Bonney punched his neighbour to the head six to seven times. Gerry Coyle, defending, said Bonney had lived at his flat for 20 years without incident until the victim and his partner arrived two years ago. Mr Coyle added: “Since then his life has been one of abject misery because they party every night. He admits he saw red and lashed out.”

National Study: Hawaii Tops the List of State with Most Services Taxed: State Budget Solutions, a nonprofit organization advocating for fundamental reform of state budgets, released its study on the states that tax the highest number of services. Topping the list is Hawaii with 160 services taxed, leading Bob Williams, the organization’s President, to note “Hawaii takes taxing to a new level.” Only six states tax more than 100 services, including New Mexico and Washington, which are in second place with 158. As State Budget Solutions notes in its report, Hawaii taxes “barber shops and salons, dating services, interior design, pet grooming, window cleaning, gift wrapping services, laundry and dry cleaning, bowling alley and amusement park admission and tuxedo rentals.” Unlike other states, service business is also assessed a General Excise Gross Income Tax, which is equal to four percent of the gross income of the business.

Lawrence “Larry” Allen Crouse, 72, passed away on Feb. 13, 2012. He was born July 17, 1939, in St. Helena to Howard and Irma Crouse. Larry served in the United States Navy for 14 years and then worked as a window cleaner at the Veterans Home of California at Yountville. He is survived by his daughter, Marina Crouse; granddaughter, Angelina; grandson, Noah; brother, Ronald (Yvonne) Crouse; nieces, Angela (Rob) England and Tina (Chris) Kneis; and seven great–nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Howard and Irma Crouse, and niece, Julie Crouse. Per Larry’s request, no services will be held. Words of sympathy may be sent to the family online here.

Emprise Services plc has announced that, following the latest SIA assessment, it has increased its score to achieve a position in the Top 5% of ACS-registered companies. As a result of the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) audit, Emprise enhanced its score from 114 in 2011 (which placed the company in the Top 10% of ACS companies) to 143 in 2012, in turn attaining a place in the Top 5%. The maximum score available for each audit is 159. Range of services for customers - Security services encompass integrated solutions, security guarding, mobile patrol and alarm response, key holding, Help Desk solutions, CCTV and remote monitoring, technical services and electronic security. Emprise’s key services in the cleaning arena include office and daily cleans, periodic and deep cleans, window cleaning, building site cleans, caretaker services, pest control, environment and waste management and energy efficient lighting. The company has a turnover of £90 million and employs circa 7,600 people to deliver a range of integrated support services to clients on a national basis. Its primary goals are to be a great business with a culture of service and be a trusted service partner and support to its customers.

Ian McMillan: A cut price guide to the barbershop economy: I’m now pleased to announce to my legions of readers that I now understand economics, and I understand the economic situation so completely that I’ve even come up with an idea that students will come to call “McMillan’s Haircut and Window-Cleaning Theory of the Failure of Late Capitalism”. Trips off the tongue, no? Well, I’m dying to explain. A couple of years ago, I wrote a radio play that featured a window-cleaner and I put in the script that he charged £3 for cleaning the windows. The producer, a gentleman from Leeds, thought this was a misprint and looked genuinely shocked to his Leeds core when I told him it wasn’t. “Three pounds?” he said, like Peter Kay doing his Cheesecake? Cheese? Cake? Routine. “Three pounds?” I got a bit defensive. “Well, we’ve got quite a few windows,” I said in what somebody once described as my “fruity North-country brogue” like I was a combination of healthy snack and comfortable shoe. He still looked aghast. “We pay 10 quid,” he said.

Now it was my turn to widen my eyes and let my mouth flap open like a trapdoor. “Ten pounds for your windows doing? You could buy new windows for that in Barnsley! And doors!” Now, I know I was exaggerating for effect, but not much. You wouldn’t get the doors. We both talked for a while about the relative prices of window-cleaning and in the end he prevailed because he said, probably with some justification, that no Radio 4 listeners would believe it’s only three pounds to have your windows done. And, as I said, that was a couple of years ago. And ours are still three quid. I’ve not seen him for a while so I don’t know how much he pays these days, but I bet it’s not gone down. I’m going to get some ladders and a bucket and move to Leeds!

Having dealt with the window-cleaning aspect of McMillan’s Theory, let me turn to the haircut side of the equation. I recently went for my hair cutting in York. It cost me £13 and as I paid the barber asked, just out of interest, how much I normally paid. “Well, I come from Barnsley,” I said, and he nodded a sage nod that meant “Say no more!” So I told him about Mad Geoff and the fact that he’s charged a fiver for a trim for years, since my hair was dark, in fact. He rang my Barnsley money as quickly as he could into his York till before I changed my mind and asked for my quiff sticking back on. “You couldn’t charge that round here, they’d think you were daft,” he said.

I’ve paid £10.50 in Leeds and I’ve seen barbers round Barnsley that charge £4 or even £3 and in each location they think it’s a fair price. You can tell the economic health of a place by the scalps and the windows and the normality of how the price feels, depending on your postcode. I’ve never had my hair cut in Richmond in Surrey but I bet they charge more than Geoff. And more than that place in Leeds. And more than that place in York. And yet it’s still the same hair, still the same head. McMillan’s Haircut and Window Cleaning Theory of the Failure of Late Capitalism: easy, isn’t it? The money follows the scissors and the chamois leathers. And the solution? Get your hair cut by a Barnsley window-cleaner. Three pounds to you.

German diplomat joins tirade against Trident management: Dubai A senior diplomat who leased out a penthouse at a 45-storey tower in Dubai Marina has lashed out against poor maintenance and non-availability of facilities in the posh residential building. He said he had rented the penthouse on the 44th floor as the official residence of the Consul General of Germany in November 2010. "We loved the apartment because it was bright, airy and spacious with an excellent layout and stunning views of the sea, The Palm and The Marina." Among his other complaints were "poor installations, non-activation of panels for control and communication, non-activation of an escalator to basement 1, non-replacement of broken bulbs, no window cleaning, stoppages of elevators, poor air-conditioning in the community areas, defective main entrance door, unsafe installations at the pool level, no replacement of dead plants and non-operation of the decorative fountain in the main lobby". The Consul General said he had nothing against his flat owner. "I am not complaining against the owner of the apartment. In fact, I sympathise with him. I will be moving out once my lease expires next year, but he will still have to deal with these problems."

Market for Smart Windows Covered in New Report: Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets has announced the release of its latest report on smart windows, "Smart Windows Markets 2012." In the report the firm analyzes the opportunities for smart windows including hot new technologies such as thermochromics, photochromics, PDLC and SPD. It also covers the established markets for retrofit window films and low-e glass. The report provides forecasts of all of the smart windows technologies and materials mentioned above for both the architectural and transportation sectors of the smart windows market, with breakouts by both market value and area covered, as well as by glass or film substrates. Additional details about the report are available here.

Before he was winning an Oscar and taking America by storm, Bret McKenzie was a Wellington schoolboy who played the oboe, washed shop windows in Kelburn and busked in Cuba St. He created a job for himself as a window-washer at shops around Kelburn, wheeling around the winding streets on his BMX with the cleaning equipment lashed to the front. "I'm pretty sure he sold that business to a friend? When Bret McKenzie leapt into the air on the Academy Awards red carpet, legs akimbo and arms flung to the side, it looked like a sweet move. As photographers' flashes exploded, McKenzie's spontaneous leap of faith – with a stiff-looking Jane Seymour managing to squeeze half an emaciated elbow in the frame. The musician-turned-celebrity won Best Original Song at the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Monday for his song Man or Muppet, one of the three tunes he penned during his role as the musical supervisor on The Muppets.

Sarah Beeny is the telly property guru familiar to millions for her shows charting the ups and downs of amateur developers. She also runs an online dating site and a free online estate agency. She's mum to four boys aged under ten. Busy Sarah joins our roster of star columnists from tomorrow and will write each week on all the latest property news and tips as well as other business news from her world. And she knows her subject inside out. Sarah was just 19 when she first invested in bricks and mortar. She says: "I like property because it's always different — every house, every situation is different and you're always learning." Property Ladder, the series which launched Sarah to fame, began in 2001 and she only got the job through a chance meeting. She had begun making money from property after building up cash through small-time ventures including window-cleaning and sandwich-making.

Building Babel was preceded by "Paraiso" (directed by Nadav Kurtz), a short film about skyscraper window washers in Chicago. I liked it better than the feature. Apart from the vertiginous locations over the sides of some very tall buildings--Mission: Impossible has nothing on this--it also touches on a bittersweet sense of mortality as its workers all contemplate their own deaths should they fall from their workplace. A beautiful film.

Van Morrison song brings back happy memories: In that year, Van Morrison gave me another gift, the upbeat jazzy tune called “Cleaning Windows,” about a Dublin window washer who plays music in clubs on the weekend. “I’m a working man in my prime, I’m happy cleaning windows,” he claims. And somehow he made me happy to be a workingman, who wrote doggerel and little pieces of fractured prose in my few free hours. I listened to the music and felt the ache.

Northcenter Chamber Leadership Respond To Charges of Mismanagement: In recent weeks the Northcenter business community has been roiled by a series of accusations against the Northcenter Chamber of Commerce and its leadership of poor management. A condo board collects association fees from residents for joint expenses and then hands over a portion of that fee to a management company, which handles things like window washing, carpet cleaning and contracting out for repairs on behalf of owners, who would rather spend their time doing anything but window washing, carpet cleaning and contracting out for repairs. Similarly, SSAs collect a special tax from members for things like snow removal and flower planters and then pay someone to manage those services. “An SSA would have to pay a management fee to anyone who managed it,” explains Stein. So why not the Northcenter Community Corporation, which, he says, was established as separate entity to minimize, not increase, the risk to the Chamber’s assets.

The American Bird Conservancy is selling a new, translucent adhesive tape, which tests show can significantly reduce bird collisions with glass windows and doors. Birds can't see glass and don't understand architectural cues, such as window frames, that alert people to the hazard. Experts estimate that up to one billion birds may die each year from collisions. Unlike some sources of bird mortality that predominantly kill weaker individuals, there is no distinction among victims of glass. Because glass is equally dangerous for strong, healthy, breeding adults, it can have a particularly serious impact on populations. Studies have shown that even small windows can be dangerous to birds that are accustomed to flying through gaps between trees and shrubs. Learn more about the ABC Bird Tape.

What you should know before you clean your windows: Is your home ready for Spring?  It may just need a good cleaning, starting with the outside. Matt Swales works with a window cleaning company:  He says,  "It's important to have your windows cleaned because windows left unclean for long periods windows are porous and mother nature the mineral from things flying around can absorb into the pores of the glass and stain it permanently or it could take costly extensive measures to get that staining out of glass."

Consumer group Angie's List offers this advice on cleaning windows properly and safely:

·    Frequency of cleaning: Most homes should get a thorough window cleaning twice a year - ideally in the spring and fall. You may find your windows need cleaned more often if you live on a busy street or near saltwater. Letting salt stay on the glass too long will eventually damage the glass.

·    Which cleaning method is best? The type of cleaning solution and equipment you need varies according to the type of windows you have. With dozens of types of glass, windows often require special cleaning agents and using the wrong one could be ineffective or cause damage. For example, double glass windows are held together with a vacuum that could be compromised if the rubber trim that seals it is damaged by the wrong type of cleaner. If the seal breaks, moisture and dusts can get in the window, making it impossible to get clean. Most glass can be cleaned with soap, water and a squeegee. However, some situations will call for specialized cleaning solutions. For smaller windows where a squeegee is too large, use a lint free towel to wipe them clean.

·    Ideal weather conditions: If you clean the windows, do it during a cool, cloudier time of day. The hot sun dries windows faster, which can lead to streaking.

Angie's List window cleaning hiring tips:

·    Check insurance: If you hire a pro, make sure the company is insured. Because a lot of window washing involves ladders, safety harnesses and scaffolding, precautions are essential to ensure everyone's protection. Damage can be done to glass by someone is who not qualified. You need someone who not only knows how to clean glass, but knows glass and how to maintain in properly.

·    How do they clean windows? It's important to ask what types of chemicals and tools are used during the cleaning process, especially if your windows are tinted. Many companies will clean with eco-friendly materials upon request.

·    What's the cost: Window cleaning prices vary and are often based on the number and size of windows, the time estimated to do the job and the complexity of the job. Always ask for an in-home estimate. MONEY SAVING TIP: You could save a few bucks by cleaning the first floor windows yourself, and leaving the second floor, more difficult to reach windows, to a pro.

·    Satisfaction guaranteed? Ask the company if they provide a money-back guarantee if you're not 100% happy. Most companies will offer one and some even offer a rain guarantee - so if it rains within a certain amount of time of the cleaning and your windows are spotted, the company will come back out at no charge to you.

Tony demonstrates what they've come to do: wash windows.

Workin' it: Bruce goes over the edge: Now that The Morning Show anchors are (somewhat) grown up, they decided it would be fun to try out some of those childhood dream jobs for a day. Up first: Bruce Hamilton's learns how to be a high-rise window washer. "I was inspired when I saw Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs show recently, when he learned how to be a high-rise window washer," Bruce says. There's no scaffold. You climb over the edge of the roof tethered by a 6-foot safety cable and sit on a 2x4 suspended off the side of the building. You literally repel down the building on a safety line (slowly) stopping at each window and using your feet to steady yourself while you dangle in mid-air. Bruce was told: "If you fall, don't worry. The most you can tumble is 6 feet. Just don't rock back and forth and hit the wall you'll hurt yourself, and we'll get to you in 20 minutes or less." One he got settled, Bruce actually looked comfortable on that little seat 150 feet in the air. The big window cleaners secret? What's the secret recipe for their professional window cleaner's washing solution? Water and dishwashing detergent like Dawn.

Jim Davidson was another who came up the hard way. Born in Kidbrooke, South-east London, he was a shelf stacker and window cleaner before finding his way into show- business. He got his break when the comedian at his local in Woolwich didn’t show up and he volunteered to take the microphone.

“Invisible” Solar Panels are on the Way: Window gazers of the future may soon find themselves looking right through an energy-producing transparent glass solar panel, if the folks at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are on the right track. Working with the company New Energy Technologies, Inc., the lab has produced a transparent photovoltaic module that is 14 times bigger than its last attempt.

Windows that double as solar panels: At 170 square centimeters (about 26 square inches), the new module is about the size of a small window. If the technology can be ramped up to a more useful scale, practically any glass window could double as a clean energy generator, with the embedded photovoltaic cell all but invisible.

The largest device of its kind produced at NREL, the new module represents a breakthrough in organic photovoltaic cell (OPV) technology according to a statement by Dr. David S. Ginley of NREL, who said that integrating solar technology into window glass represents a “promising avenue for OPV deployment.”

Edmonton's burgeoning tech sector sent out a new shoot last week when the team behind Jobber, a piece of online software aimed at small ser-vice companies, announced they've secured a six-figure investment from venture capitalists. Sam Pillar, who co-founded the company with Forrest Zeisler in 2010, says the money will allow Jobber to hire some new staff, buy advertising and remain solvent for around 14 months. Jobber falls into this category. In-stead of a one-time fee like tradition-al software, Jobber customers pay a subscription rate of $30 a month, with added costs for extra features and additional users.

The software helps small businesses such as landscapers and painters co-ordinate their information online. Users load records such as invoices or worker schedules into the software. They can then access it anywhere with an Internet connection. While Pillar refused to divulge specific user numbers, local customers include Painters Enterprise, Clear Skies Window Cleaning and Crack Buster Foundation Repair. Businesses in North America, Europe and Australia use Jobber. Jobber, like most tech startups, re-mains unprofitable after the investment. Pillar estimated that could change within the year.

A woman who proposed to her man on Leap Day was answered with a resounding “yes”. Susan Evans, aged 32, of Rhyl, popped the question to boyfriend David Gore through the Rhyl Journal last week and got the reply she wanted. Susan said: “It went fine. he was surprised, but he was happy. He took the day off and we spent the day together. We’re going shopping for the ring soon.” Susan said the surprise proposal on February 29, traditionally the only day a woman can get down on one knee, was almost spoiled as the paper was delivered the evening before Leap Day. She said: “I had to tell him a bit early. Everyone was texting me to see if he’d seen the paper. I went upstairs and chucked the paper at him and said ‘read that’. He said: ‘Why? What have you done?’ “He didn’t speak for 10 minutes because he was shocked, but then he said yes straight away, so it’s all good. I gave him a Haribo ring and he ate it.”

Susan, former Rhyl high pupil, lives with David, a self employed window cleaner, and between them they have six children including little Callum, their first child together who was born last year. David, aged 34, said: “She was quizzing me to see if I’d say yes or no. I told her she didn’t have to ask me, that I’ll get round to asking her, so I had an inkling that she put something in the birthday section - but not a big article! “We’re going to put it in the guestbook for the wedding. All my customers have been saying good luck. They think it’s sweet.” Initial story here.

Cancer sufferer Shania Dempsey-James is edging closer to her £15,000 fundraising target after a masquerade ball. Shania, 12, has spindle cell sarcoma, a rare bone condition, which means that she needs groundbreaking treatment in America. On Saturday night, there was a ball at Hertfordshire Golf Club in Broxbourne and on Sunday, 19-year-old Luke Daniel and his brother Ryan, from Cheshunt, ran 17 and a half miles from Tesco at Cheshunt Old Pond to Big Ben to raise more money. Shania, who is a pupil at the Broxbourne School, will have treatment in a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. She will need to be there for three months, while she has photon laser surgery on her pelvis to rid her of the tumours. She will finish her current round of chemotherapy next week and then will be able to confirm dates to fly out to the USA.

The brothers’ run, which took just under four hours, raised nearly £1,000. Ryan (pictured right), 24, who works as a window cleaner, said: “The run went well, it was just about keeping going, mentally and physically. “It’s great to be able to raise that money, because Shania needs help. She’s part of the community so we wanted to give her as much help as we could. “She’s a lovely girl who has a great character – she’s really smiley, despite her illness, and she’s got so many great people around her as well. “Fingers crossed this money can get her the treatment she needs to get better.”

Steven Castro in front of his Maspeth home. An underground water leak from a neighbor’s property has been springing up from the sidewalk for about a month and has yet to be fixed despite numerous calls from Castro and his neighbors. Steven Castro was leaving his Maspeth home to head to work one morning about a month ago when he first noticed a stream of water seeping from the sidewalk, flowing down the block and pooling where 60th Dr. meets Fresh Pond Rd. Dozens of phone calls and several visits from environmental officials later, the leak has yet to be fixed, leaving homeowners concerned about potential damage and puzzled by the lack of action by the city. “Seeing this in front of your house for 30 days straight can start to get to you a little bit,” said Castro, 44, a window cleaner by trade. “Neighbors are calling about it everyday. Who knows how much longer this can go on?”

Window Cleaning News

A window cleaner to write home about - Koron Mays moves from the Willamette Valley to Sandy to expand his business. Koron Mays has established his home-based window washing and gutter cleaning service in Sandy, a business that serves the Portland, Salem, Albany, Corvallis and Jefferson areas. He has accounts in Sandy and serves residential, commercial and post-construction clientele. Mays, who relocated from Jefferson, says — as owner of Koron’s Professional Window Cleaning — he cares about the environment and only uses cleaning products that bear the Green Seal, which are products safe for the environment.

While working at the Mt. Hood Athletic Club in Sandy last week, Mays said he strives not only to get windows clean but to make window cleaning a “wow” experience for clients. “My goal is not to get the job done as fast as possible and do the minimum requirements to get paid,” he said. “My goal is to establish a long-term relationship with my customers and do whatever it takes to earn their return business and enthusiastic referrals.” Mays’ money-back guarantee seems to help his clients feel more comfortable, especially the first time they order service. “I want to give my customers the peace of mind of knowing that they will not be put in the situation (that some people have found themselves in) of having a window cleaner do poor or incomplete work,” he said. “There is no risk with KPWC. If (the customer) is not satisfied with the job, then he or she will not be required to pay.”

Before pursuing his window cleaning business, he worked in Portland and Lebanon as a medical assistant — a detail-oriented career. Mays describes his business philosophy in simple terms: “Establishing lifelong customers through excellent service, competitive prices and a 100-percent satisfaction guarantee.” “Earning your return business, and your enthusiastic referral,” he said, “is my number-one goal.” Mays’ attention to detail is likely responsible for the testimonials on his website. Here’s a sample, from a customer at a real estate office in Albany: “Our windows look amazing. Just looking out and seeing how clean they are makes me happy. You did a fabulous job and we will tell everyone about KPWC and how great of a job you do. Thanks again, you really came at just the right time for our office. Warmest regards.” Mays’ business has been screened by Service Magic, a group of professionals screening service providers. Service Magic screens the following areas of each business it approves and certifies: verify trade license, insurance and state business filings; criminal records search; sex offender search; bankruptcy search; legal search for civil judgments; liens search; and identity verification with a Social Security number and reverse telephone search. Mays accepts payments by major credit cards and PayPal. He offers free estimates, and is licensed and insured.

Seychellois court jails 9 Somali pirates: A court in Seychelles has handed 22-year jail terms to nine Somali nationals charged with piracy, amid a drive to seek convictions for suspected pirates. "When we come across a boat with ladders on board, we can be sure they are pirates," complained a senior member of NATO's anti-piracy task force in October. "After all, there are no known window-cleaning operations in the Indian Ocean."

Big-hearted Orangemen had a whipround to replace an elderly Dreghorn couple’s stolen Christmas savings – after reading about their plight in the Irvine Herald. Members of Dreghorn and Parish Loyal Defenders LOL 218 were so touched by Eddie and Isabella Short’s story they clubbed together to raise the full £400 nicked by a bogus window cleaner. Eddie, 65, and Isabella, 60, of Cumbrae Court, had scrimped and saved the cash for a year to buy presents for their four grandchildren before the callous conman struck on November 26.

A “sadistic and controlling” window cleaner has been sentenced to two years behind bars for a series of cruel assaults. Basildon Crown Court heard Steven Scannell, 27, carried out a string of inhumane beatings against housemate and work colleague Zack Greaves over six months. The final and worst attack at the pair’s flat in Hollands Walk, Vange, saw Scannell assault his victim with weapons, including a rolling pin, police truncheon and wheel brace. Mr Greaves, 23, who is from the Basildon area, suffered a broken jaw and numerous cuts. He also had to have two skin grafts on his left leg because of the horrific nature of the wounds.

The attacks took place between August and December 2008. The victim had previously made up stories to explain his injuries but informed police after the final assault and Scannell was arrested. Scannell, who was 25 at the time of the attacks, met Mr Greaves through playing roller hockey and later offered him a job working with him as a window cleaner. The victim later moved into his attacker’s flat and the problems began. The court heard Scannell began by withholding cash from his flatmate, telling him he was not capable of looking after his own money.

LEGO – Moscow Office: If you’re anything like me, you lived, breathed, and occasionally ate LEGOs in your younger days. There was nothing more exciting than the chance to build your own toys right out of your imagination. Most of us grew up and had to leave our LEGOs in the back of the closet, but a lucky few get to live the dream of playing with them and get paid for it. Some of those people live in Moscow. And we are looking at their office today. The office doesn’t disappoint. Actually, it has even more LEGOs than I would’ve expected. There’s a fancy doorman, a tourist (sandals and socks!), a window washer, a painter, a knight, a Russian landscape, a monkey, three parrots, hedgehog, an office pig… all made entirely out of LEGOs. They even made a giant Russian nesting doll out of LEGOs!

Loneliness is a disease that afflicts most small-business owners. It can be so severe that mental paralysis prevents the business from growing and it may even lead to failure. The best defense includes surrounding yourself with other business owners who understand the challenges you face daily. They can help you take a step back from problems that seem all consuming so that solutions become more apparent. Additionally, it is likely that others have faced similar challenges and were able to conquer them. Jeannette Watling-Mills, owner of Bob's Window Cleaning in Sarasota told me that, "Even when their business is going well, they are tired of doing it all and doing it alone." In addition to being an entrepreneur, she is a volunteer business mentor with the SCORE Manasota chapter, based in Sarasota, Fla.

Gutter Rake Review: An Easier, Safer Way to Get the Leaves Out - The Product: Gutter Rake. The Price: $9.95, plus $6.95 shipping and handling. The Claims: 10 times faster and easier than other gutter tools. The Gutter Rake reduces the thing I hate most about cleaning gutters -- watching my husband climb a ladder. Greg is the gutter rake in our house. And twice a year my heart stops as he climbs the extension ladder, balances on one leg as he reaches for leaves, then climbs down and moves the ladder over six feet to do it all again. The Gutter Rake, which claims to extend your wingspan up to 32 feet, actually does cut down all that upping and downing and oops-I've-plunged-to-my-death-ing.

The Gutter Rake is a simple, 2-foot piece of plastic with a hook at one end, and a straight scraper at the other. Twist the Gutter Rake onto a broom handle or extension pole. The scraper grabs leaves and other gutter crud, then the hook pushes debris under and past fastening struts. I guess it could add 32 feet to your reach, if you fasten the Gutter Rake to a 16-foot pole, although that's a bit much to maneuver from a ladder. But a 5-foot broom handle is manageable and triples your reach. That translates to fewer ladder moves and fewer chances for it to fall through the kitchen window. The Gutter Rake also makes cleaning gutters obstructed by tree branches easier. Instead of positioning the ladder between branches, Greg parked the ladder 3-feet away from the tree and reached past and under the limbs with the rake.

Is the Gutter Rake 10 times faster than other gutter tools, as it claims? Nope. You still have to scrape the leaves, bag the leaves, and move the ladder. Also, the Gutter Rake is about 2-inches wide, while gutters typically are 5-inches wide, which means repeated passes until you clear all the leaves. But the Gutter Rake does shave time off a dirty and dangerous job that, with a little luck, my husband will do for years to come. Video at link.

Fighting ashes with ashes: Cleaning glass fireplace doors - Sooty fireplace not looking Santa-ready? Instead of using ammonia or harsh chemical cleaners to clean glass fireplace doors, opt for a most unlikely soot-removing remedy: Fireplace ash. When removing built-up carbon residue and other gunk from glass fireplace and wood stove doors, a normal glass/window cleaner most likely isn’t tough enough given that you're not dealing with regular glass. As an alternative, most folks resort to rags dipped in household ammonia, oven cleaners like Easy-Off, or harsh, heavy-duty products manufactured specifically for the task.

Although these solutions can be effective in removing soot and built-up grime and don’t require an extraneous amount of elbow grease, they must be used with utmost caution given their hazardous properties that call for the wearing of rubber gloves and googles, the holding-in of breath, and the opening of windows. Or, you could avoid chemicals altogether and opt for old newspapers dampened with water and dipped in fireplace ashes. Yep, fireplace ashes. Although it’s counterintuitive and requires a bit more effort on your part, scrubbing glass fireplace doors with the what-in-the-heck-do-I-do-with-this residue left from a raging wood fire does indeed do the trick.

Extra Clean Inc., the leading window cleaning, pressure washing, post construction cleanup, and exterior building maintenance service company in Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia is pleased to announce the appointment of Angela Dixson as the new company president. In her new role, Mrs. Dixson will have total responsibility for day-to-day operations of Extra Clean. Angela Dixson, President of Extra Clean, Inc says

"I look forward to serving Extra Clean in my new role," Angela Dixson said. "I will build on the skills and knowledge I have acquired over the 22 years of working for the company and in the cleaning service industry. I will ensure Extra Clean remains the industries preferred window cleaning, construction cleanup, and pressure washing company in the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia area".

Elgin residents will have to endure the frigid holidays this year without the favorite Christmastime tradition - the Remembering Elgin calendar: Since 1996, Councilman and auctioneer John Prigge has been publishing a “Remembering Elgin” calendar showing Elgin scenes from the 1940s through the 1960s. But he says he won’t do that this year because sales have gone down over the past two years to the point where he loses money on the project. Each year, Prigge says, he would print about 1,000, of which he would give away 200 to his business clients and offer 800 for sale, mainly at the State Street Market in Elgin. He said people still can buy back issues of the 15 calendars at the State Street Market, for half their original $10.95 price. The photos all were taken by an Elgin window washer named Bob Will, who carried around one of those old-fashioned cameras that took photos on 2.25-inch film, five times as large as the usual 35mm film. Prigge says Will often would come home from church on Sunday, file away that week’s bulletin, then walk back downtown with camera in hand, looking for targets of opportunity.

Cleaning windows 50 metres above the ground: Cleaning the windows of a highrise building doesn't seem like a big deal, until you witness one of the abseil cleaners strap into a harness and lower themselves over the edge. Perched on top of the ABC Collinswood building, some 52 metres above street level, Daniel the operations manager from SA Window Cleaning believes he has one of the best jobs in the world. As he slips over the edge of the building in his abseiling gear, it's easy to notice it is not a job for the faint hearted. "I think it's a good cure for people with a fear of heights," Daniel said. "A few people come in with a fear of heights, they end up doing this and they love it by the end of the day."

Depending on workloads and weather conditions, Daniel can be found on the sides of up to eight buildings per week around Adelaide giving the windows a quick clean. Wind, thunder and rain can make a job unsafe for the crews to start. Even on a relatively calm day, updrafts can make it a little challenging. "It's a bit hard to keep your windows clean with the wind blowing your water back up the side of the building." Abseiling teams are used around Adelaide on buildings of up to 26 storeys in height. "There's a couple a bit bigger than that, but we use the building maintenance units on those ones," Daniel explained.

Strangely for observers, the higher the crews are, the easier the cleaning can be on the larger sites. "The further you get down the building, you get a lot more bounce in your ropes and you pendulum a lot more." With over 12 years of abseil window cleaning, Daniel says apart from the amazing office views the feeling of freedom whilst he is abseiling down the face of buildings keeps him coming back for more. It's not all swinging from ropes and looking at the views though, with the job's physical demands ruling it out for many. "Some jobs it really takes it out of you, especially a long job with a lot of scrubbing involved."

On hot summer days temperatures of 40 degrees can jump another 20 degrees thanks to rising hot air and reflected sun from surrounding buildings. And on hot, windy days, one of the biggest challenges the crews face is their washing water drying too quickly. With a quick smile and a wave, Daniel attaches his cleaning gear bucket and slides over the edge to keep working on cleaning off what the weather and local pigeon population has left decorated on the side of the ABC Collinswood building. More pictures here.

Chicago braves season’s first cold snap:  Window washer Sergio Enriquez dumped some rubbing alcohol into his wash bucket to keep it from freezing. “I usually wear windproof stuff, ’cause it’s kind windy here,” Enriquez said.  “It’s the Windy City.” Kevin Birk, with the National Weather Service in Romeoville, said the region can expect cold temperatures and bitter wind chills for the rest of the week.

Window Cleaning Springs woman sells business, possessions for Buddhist life in Colorado Springs: Gwyn Waterfield, her head shaved and wearing a white robe, walked slowly down an aisle at Shove Chapel on the Colorado College campus last week during her Buddhist Precept Ceremony. Nine months ago, Waterfield was an Austin, Texas, business owner with 10 employees. She gave it up and most of her possessions to pursue becoming a Buddhist nun. “I have some nervousness and fear about my new life,” Waterfield said, “but mostly I have an enormous amount of gratitude.” The ceremony signified Waterfield becoming an Anagarika within Buddhism’s Thai Forest Tradition.

As an Anagarika, Waterfield will adhere to the Eight Buddhist Thai Forest Precepts: refraining from sexual activity, speaking falsely, ingesting mind-altering products, eating after noon, entertainment, beautification, adornment and oversleeping. After one year, Waterfield will be a novitiate, which requires, in addition to the precepts, prohibition from preparing food and driving a car. Two years from now, she may be an ordained Buddhist monastic, though the process usually takes longer.  Waterfield is the first to join the monastic arm of the nonprofit Awakening Truth, founded by Ajahn Thanasanti earlier this year in west Colorado Springs. Awakening Truth also offers Tava Sangha, a free meditation and talk from Thanasanti for lay people.

Monastics within the Thai Forest Tradition take a vow of poverty, making them dependent on donations for survival since they never charge for their talks and good works. “We live in a world where self-discipline, restraint and self-renunciation are not popular,” Thanasanti, sitting cross-legged on a pillow, said. Monastics “open the door for people to question their choices. There is another choice.” Raised on a ranch in Canadian, Texas, Waterfield got a double-shot of Christianity. Mom was a Roman Catholic and Dad a Methodist. Her teen and early-adult years were marked by drinking and drug use, she said. Because of her wayward lifestyle, it took her a number of years to finish her math degree at St. Edward’s University, a Catholic college in Austin. In 1998 she founded “Gwyndows,” a window-cleaning operation in Austin that quickly grew into a formidable residential and commercial business.

Hello there old beans. Here we are in the far east having a jolly good time playing the old Sport of Kings, Nepal-style. Being the off-season at home, some of us chaps got a team together and flew out for the annual Pimms and Elephant Polo Festival at Chitwan about 200km from Kathmandu. You know what they say - too much polo is never enough. Jolly good show, too. The main difference, as you can see, is longer sticks and a chap has his own driver - sort of like the chauffeur one has at home. It's jolly relaxing and you have rather a long time to think about your next shot. We all take the sport very seriously and us chaps practise at home by riding around on the top of our Range Rovers swinging mallets fashioned from window-cleaning apparatus.

A 59-year-old Llanelli window cleaner who failed to stop after two road accidents and then resisted arrest has been ordered to pay £365 by town magistrates. Michael Finnegan, of Havelock Street, admitted two charges of failing to stop after an accident and one of obstructing or resisting a police constable in the execution of their duty. Gerald Neave, prosecuting, told the court that police received a report of a hit-and-run road traffic collision outside New Dock Road post office on September 20 this year. Finnegan's Nissan Bluebird was seen to drive away from the scene. A minute later, police received another report saying the same vehicle had hit the fence of a garden at Ropewalk Road. A police officer attended the scene and encountered the defendant. Then, said Mr Neave, Finnegan "became aggressive without provocation". He told magistrates how Finnegan said to the officer: "What the **** are you doing here? I wasn't driving."

Mr Neave said: "He was showing aggressive behaviour. "The defendant clenched his left fist, leaving the officer to believe he was going to strike." The police officer took Finnegan to the floor using a handcuff take down and he continued to struggle, the court was told. The officer called for assistance, but managed to handcuff Finnegan before help arrived. Finnegan told police that after the collision in the post office car park he "panicked", and when he got to his home he collided with a fence. He said he did not answer the door when police called "for fear of being arrested". The court heard Finnegan had been a self-employed window cleaner in the Morfa area, but had given up work. For failing to stop he was fined £100 and his licence was endorsed with ten penalty points, and the second failing to stop after an accident resulted in a further fine of £100. Finnegan was ordered to pay £65 for obstructing a police constable in his duty, prosecution costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £15.

Piano technician, window cleaner sell Lombard 3BD: Cyril, David, Kevin, and Scott Grandsard sold a three-bedroom, four-bath home at 1135 E. Adams St. in Lombard to Ingerrev and Kent Lawrence for $270,000 on June 7. The 1,560-square-foot house was built in 1967 in the Lombard East neighborhood. David Grandsard is the owner of It's A Pitch Piano Service in Lombard, which specializes in tuning, repair and regulation of pianos. He is a certified piano technician. He is a graduate of the Chicago School for Piano Technology. Scott Grandsard is the owner of C & S Window Cleaning in Carpentersville, which he founded in 1979. According to BlockShopper.com, there have been 462 home sales in Lombard during the past 12 months, with a median sales price of $206,000.

Platmin Completes Placing of US$90 Million of New Shares: A total of 83,846,154 common shares were indirectly placed with Dutch pension manager, Algemene Pensioen Groep N.V. ("APG"). Following completion of the placing, APG will hold, indirectly, 124,998,417 common shares representing approximately 16.7% of the then outstanding common shares. APG provides for the collective pension schemes for participants from the education sector, the government (civil servants), the construction sector, the cleaning/window-cleaning sector, housing corporations and energy/utilities companies, amongst others. APG manages around €265 billion in pension capital for these sectors (as at 30 September 2010). APG works for more than 20,000 employers, provides for the income of more than 4.4 million participants, and manages over 30% of all collective pensions in the Netherlands.

Forty Years Ago: The La Cañada High School Marching Band struck upon a unique fund-raising project for the December break in 1970. Called "Rent-a-Spartan," it allowed La Cañadans to telephone the student chairman of the project and request any type of household assistance, including garage clean-up, window-washing and baby-sitting.

Thanks to the late, pioneering eco-architect Bengt Warne’s Naturhus (Nature House) concept, maintaining a vibrant topical garden while cutting back on household energy costs during the middle of a brutal winter is indeed possible. Basically, a Naturhus is a normal, modestly sized abode completely encased in a greenhouse that “functions as an outer barrier” and allows for the year-round growing of plants that wouldn’t normally survive in frigid climates. Warne’s Naturhus concept has garnered a small but devout following in his native Sweden (Warne completed his own Naturhus in the mid-1970s) that includes Rosemary and Anders Solvarm, a couple whose own Naturhus consists “of a climate-shell, living quarters and a self-contained ecological system.”  The self-contained ecological system conserves energy and nutrients which are transformed by plants and trees into flowers, fruits and vegetables. Any misgivings concerning circulation, window cleaning, problems with humidity, sensitivity to storms etcetera, can now be dismissed.

Toronto-Dominion Bank is buying Chrysler Financial for $6.3 billion, the second time in a week that a Canadian lender has placed a big bet on the U.S. economic recovery. A window washer cleans the sign on a TD Bank in New York's financial district.