Sky Slide

Thrill-seekers will soon have the chance to sail down a glass side suspended 1,000 feet above ground and attached to the tallest building on the West Coast. Starting in June, it will cost $8 to slide down a portion of the 72-story U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles.

SKY SLIDE lifted to top floors of  OF US bank tower in downtown Los Angeles; The Sky Slide, a new attraction in downtown Los Angeles, was lifted over the city Saturday morning as it was being set up on the 69th and 70th floors of the U.S. Bank tower.

A massive helicopter dangled the clear glass slide over the streets below before it was placed near the top of the tower. The massive project hit a bit of turbulence during its 1,000-foot-high journey. It broke an awning on the building next door and a window was broken on one of the upper flowers of the tower.

John Colosimo's company built the slide and said all in all, the lift was still a success. He said safety has been the No. 1 priority in the project, which has gone through a rigorous testing process. "Before we brought that thing out here, we loaded it with 10,000 pounds of sand and hung it for an hour. It's pretty robust. I don't see it coming apart," he said.

When it's complete, the Sky Slide will take thrill-seekers from the 70th floor to the 69th. It's part of what will be California's tallest open-air observation deck called the OUE Sky Space. Tickets officially went on sale Saturday at skyspace and the attraction is set to open in June.

A helicopter on Saturday brought the Skyslide to the 69th floor of the downtown U.S. Bank Tower. At 72 stories, it is the tallest building west of the Mississippi. The helicopter experienced a bit of turbulence and the slide broke an awning on the building next door. A window was also broken on one of the upper floors of the tower, according to ABC. When it opens on June 25, the transparent, 45-foot-long slide will carry visitors from floors 70 to 69 as they peer down through 1 ¼-inch-thick glass.

A helicopter on Saturday brought the Skyslide to the 69th floor of the downtown U.S. Bank Tower. At 72 stories, it is the tallest building west of the Mississippi. The helicopter experienced a bit of turbulence and the slide broke an awning on the building next door. A window was also broken on one of the upper floors of the tower, according to ABC. When it opens on June 25, the transparent, 45-foot-long slide will carry visitors from floors 70 to 69 as they peer down through 1 ¼-inch-thick glass.

'The Skyslide boasts a safe, thrilling experience unlike any other in the world,' said a statement from Lucy Rumantir, head of U.S. operations for building owner OUE Limited of Singapore. 'Guests of all ages will have the opportunity to transform their view of Los Angeles as they glide down, gazing at unparalleled views of the city.' Skyslide is part of a $50 million renovation that will also put an open-air observation deck and bar on the tower's top floors. The slide ends at the observation deck. On a clear day, the tower provides panoramic views that extend to Catalina Island 22 miles off the Pacific Coast and over the Santa Monica Mountains to the city's sprawling San Fernando Valley.

Window Cleaner Recovers From Horror Crash

Chris Stoneman, 62, is planning to ride 1,000miles in aid of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Leeds window cleaner recovers from horror crash to take on 1,000mile charity ride: A Leeds window cleaner who broke his neck in a horrific road accident has pledged to raise funds for the charity that came to his aid. Chris Stoneman, from Woodhouse, became the 2,000th person to be rescued by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) when the rapid response charity was called out to help him after he smashed into a wall on his motorbike in 2007.

The 62-year-old had driven over a patch of diesel, which his bike slipped on, sending him careering into a wall on a road near Settle, North Yorkshire. After a slow and painful five-month recovery, Chris has swapped his biking leathers for a cycle helmet and will ride 1,000miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats over just 10 days in July.

The father-of-two said: “I know it’s going to be really tough cycling 100 miles a day, but we are training hard and I just wanted to do something that would raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. “It’s a fantastic charity that provides a lifesaving service. Living where we do there are a lot of people who enjoy the countryside by biking, cycling, climbing, going horse riding and walking and you never know when you might need that helicopter.”

Chris is hoping to raise more than £1,000 for the YAA, which needs to raise £9,990 every day to keep its two helicopters in the air. Now in the midst of an intense training regime, he has given up his love of motorcycling for good and joined Airedale Olympic Cycling Club. He added: “The thing I missed most about biking was the adrenaline rush, but cycling really gives you an incredible buzz and is such a brilliant thing to do.”

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/Chris-Stoneman3

Someone Give This Guy A Squeegee!

Someone give this guy a squeegee!

Watch Jetman fly in formation over Dubai - The future is here, & it's handing out Jetpacks: Dubai is an unreal city, where the buildings are gigantic, the police drive lamborghinis, and drones rescue window washers. And, very rarely, home to aerial acrobatics from brave people in jetpacks.

To infinity and beyond.

Previously, pilot Yves “Jetman” Rossy flew his custom-built flying wing with jets on it over the Grand Canyon. He's able to propel himself through the sky at upward of 190 mph, controlling his jet suit with a throttle in his hand. He can go as high as 12,000 feet. Here, he leaps from a helicopter, dances with an airplane, and then meets up in the sky with a jetpacked pal. Watch the video, captured in glorious high-definition 4K, below:

Just for you Jeff Brimble!

Window Cleaner Airlifted To Hospital After Ladder Fall

Emergency vehicles in Alexandra Park after a man fell from a ladder nearby.

Window cleaner airlifted to hospital after fall: A man was airlifted to hospital on Tuesday (May 22) after falling from a ladder while cleaning windows. Chris Gerrish, aged in his 60s, was working at a house in Elphinstone Road when he fell off at about 11.50am on Tuesday. The air ambulance landed in nearby Alexandra Park and took Mr Gerrish to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton where he was treated for six fractured ribs. Mr Gerrish’s wife Carole, who lives in the area contacted the Observer yesterday. She said: “He had just been cleaning windows on his normal round. “It was definitely not an accident. We think he had some kind of stroke or heart attack while he was on the ladder.”

Chris just celebrated his 60th birthday earlier this year.

Cleaning Windows By Helicopter

They REALLY want their windows clean! By Brett Bailey: Earlier this year, some of us here in California were complaining that, while we were open to working in the rain, our customers didn't want the windows done at that time. Today, it's raining in California and all of my customers today were ecstatic that I was willing to work in the rain so that their windows would be clean for their holiday parties. They were making me coffee, lighting the fireplace for me to warm up by.....anything that they could do to accommodate me.
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But this past Wednesday took the cake. Me and my crew got to the first job. The house is located way up on a hill and the driveway was at the end of a cul-de-sac. When we got to the end of the cul-de-sac, the water company had the road closed to fix a main water leak. There was no way possible I was going to get to the driveway, and there was no way in hell I was going to carry all of our ladder and gear up that mountain to get up to his house. So, I called him and told him of our dilemna.

Now, I knew that this gentleman was a man of resources, hence the reason why he has been so successful in life. But I never could have imagined what would happen next. After I told him of the situation, he very calmly said he would be right down. I thought to myself; does he think he is going to convince the water company to move? Is he going to come down here to carry the gear up himself? Maybe he would bring a tractor down here and we could use an auxiliary road that I didn't know about? I wasn't sure what he had in mind.

Well, about 10 minutes went by and I heard a loud noise. I looked up to see a helicopter landing in the field next to us. I thought that was odd until I saw my customer getting out of it.....then it was BIZZARE! He came over and told us to load the guys and our gear up and he would get us up to the house. It took a couple of trips, and we had to strap the ladders to the skids, but we made it.

One thing I forgot to mention about this gentleman. When we were done with the job and doing our walk around, he told me how he worked his way through college. He made up fliers that said, "Ironing by the piece and window cleaning by the pane" and passed them out in downtown San Diego. This guy used to be a window cleaner! That was a guy who REALLY wanted his windows cleaned!

Utterly Nutley Window Cleaner Admits Bank Siege

Armed robber admits siege at Ashford Barclays Bank: A convicted robber & unemployed window cleaner has pleaded guilty to holding terrified staff and customers hostage and making bomb threats at a bank in Surrey. Unemployed Matthew Nutley, 36, told people at Barclays in Ashford he would "blow their heads off" if they did not obey him during the robbery on 28 June. Wielding a large gun, he told hostages he was carrying a bomb which would explode if he let go of the trigger. Nutley, of Brookside Avenue, Ashford, admitted six charges on Friday. Following the hearing at Guildford Crown Court, Surrey Police said the hostages feared for their lives during their ordeal. The court heard Nutley walked into the bank in Church Road shortly before 1600 BST and forced the bank manager to lock the front doors. A staff member was ordered to spray the windows with black paint to prevent police from seeing inside and a customer was given cable ties and ordered to tie other people up. The robber, who was wearing a white paper boiler suit and a mask, handed similar paper suits to up to 16 people inside.

He later told police it was his intention to leave with these hostages so armed officers would not know who to shoot at. Surrey Police dispatched armed response units, cordoned off Church Road and evacuated nearby shops and businesses. During discussions with hostage negotiators, Nutley demanded £800,000 in cash and asked for a helicopter to be made ready for his escape, police said. Several hostages were allowed to leave until only three remained inside. Nutley, who was drinking heavily, also threatened to cut off the fingers and ears of the remaining hostages with a kitchen knife. The three eventually managed to escape while his back was turned and moments later, Nutley was talked into giving himself up three hours after the siege began. Police later discovered the gun was an imitation and the bomb was a homemade hoax made of copper piping and wires bound together with electrical tape.

Nutley, who had a previous conviction for robbery at an off-licence in 2003, pleaded guilty to robbery, false imprisonment, possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit robbery, two counts of making threats to kill, blackmail, possessing an offensive weapon and making a bomb hoax. He was remanded in custody for await sentence on 19 November. Det Supt Alan Sharp said: "We were dealing with the possibility of a very real threat to the lives of the bank staff and customers. "This was an incredibly traumatic experience for those inside the bank who just minutes before had simply been going about their daily business. "Whilst the gun and the bomb Nutley was carrying ultimately turned out to be fakes, to his hostages the threats he was making were very real. "His behaviour was aggressive and volatile and they genuinely feared for their lives."

Original breaking news story here.

Drunk Window Cleaner Holds Up Bank - Takes Hostages, Not Clients

Bank hostage drama - Window Cleaner 'held up cashiers with toy gun and fake bomb and took 15 hostages': The man accused of taking 15 people hostage in a three-hour bank siege held them up with a toy gun and a fake bomb, a court heard today. Matthew Nutley, 36, is alleged to have stormed into the bank brandishing a children's plastic Nerf gun which fires harmless sponge balls and foam darts. The alleged raider, who was also said to be carrying a six inch kitchen knife, fooled terrified staff into handing over cash, claiming that a fake explosive device he had made with rubbish was a real bomb, it was claimed.



Today the suspect appeared in court for the first time to face eight charges of false imprisonment, possession of an imitation firearm and an offensive weapon, blackmail, making a bomb hoax and threats to kill. Prosecutors told Staines Magistrates Court that the man had threatened to shoot bank manager Jonathan Hall and customer Daniel Beedell with the toy gun, which had been spray painted black. He also told police and bank staff that he had planted a bomb in Barclays Bank in Ashford, near Heathrow, magistrates heard.



Yesterday the accused shuffled into court flanked by two prison guards. Nutley, who was wearing a hooded Harlequins Rugby Club sweater, spoke only to confirm his name and address, telling magistrates that he could not hear proceedings because he was deaf in one ear. He showed no emotion as the eight charges relating to the dramatic siege were read to him.

Swarms of armed officers, police helicopters, fire engines and ambulances were called to the bank at 4pm on Monday following reports that a man had entered the building with a gun. The Royal Logistics Bomb Disposal team was also scrambled and surrounding buildings were evacuated amid fears that he had planted a bomb. For hours trained hostage negotiators were locked in talks with the armed raider who appeared to be drunk. Hostages have told how the robber tried to ply them with vodka and forced them to don boiler suits in a bid to confuse police.

After three hours, the masked raider wearing a boiler suit and welding goggles, freed the hostages and surrendered to armed police. None of the hostages were injured in the siege, which has been compared to Spike Lee's hit crime thriller, Inside Man. In the film Dalton Russell, played by British actor Clive Owen leads a gang into a New York bank in painters overalls. They force their hostages to don identical overalls and hide out amongst them when police storm the building to evade capture.



Today it emerged that Nutley worked as a volunteer fundraiser for the charity to help wounded members of the armed forces, Help the Heroes. Neighbours said the window cleaner claimed to have raised hundreds of pounds for the charity and was often seen around his home in Ashford driving a van with the words 'Help for Heroes' on the side. Yesterday his mother Ann refused to comment at her home in Ashford. Nutley was remanded into custody. He will face trial at Guildford Crown Court on September 1 this year.



With the bank in Ashford, Middlesex, sealed, the gunman produced more boiler suits and told the hostages to put them on. He handed out cans of paint and told everyone to spray the windows so nobody could see inside. Their hands were then bound with cable ties. Within minutes the building was surrounded by armed cops. Josh Williams, 20, said: "We heard police cars screeching down the road. The cops jumped out with their guns and got behind their cars." A helicopter circled as a negotiator was brought in. Ten hostages were released. But it was not until 7pm that the gunman emerged - calmly smoking a cigarette. He was cuffed and bundled into a police van. Police said nobody was hurt.

April Fools Day For Window Cleaners

London Window Cleaning Company Beats Traffic Congestion In London With New Fleet Of Helicopters: London's notorious traffic jams and the relatively new controversial introduction of the Central London congestion charge along with steadily rising parking expenses has lead one of London's most well known window cleaning companies to introduce a new range of vehicles to complement its current fleet of vans.

The purchase of five Bell Jet long range helicopters that can carry up to six passengers will soon be dropping the company's window cleaning staff directly on to each job in an amazing attempt to stem any potential problems of missed or late appointments due to worsening road conditions in London. Fully equipped to clean both residential and commercial windows with the use of water fed pole they plan to beat the competition once again.

Speaking to the company spokesperson Nathan Colwell the Director of Ncpm247.com stated:
"With our new fleet of helicopters we can drop our window cleaning staff on site on time without any of the problems of London's notorious road conditions." The helicopters that have all been converted to carry up to 700 litres of purified water are able to deliver the water required via hose directly to the cleaners below. Time will tell how effective window cleaning by helicopter will be but one might assume that the London Mayor may well find a taxation system to tackle this brave new concept very shortly.

Toll plan for Kurilpa Bridge: The river city's elected officials will never consider introducing tolls for Brisbane's pedestrian bridges, if our April Fools' Day story is any guide. Unsurprisingly, many readers reacted with outrage to the 'proposal', with more then 90 per cent of poll respondents rejecting the idea. The joke was also lost on one Queensland government media adviser, who demanded the story be removed from the site.

......Pedestrians and cyclists could be forced to pay $1.50 to walk or cycle across the Kurilpa Bridge as part of a controversial plan being considered by the state government. A maintenance report obtained by brisbanetimes.com.au suggests "tolling" as a way of recouping larger-than-expected upkeep costs. The report shows each spire costs $1 million a year to clean due to the need for a specially modified window washing-type rig. An additional $4 million is required to remove marks left by youths dragging their skateboards. "The unforeseen escalation in maintenance outlays makes it necessary to consider the implementation of a user-pays approach," the report says. "The department acknowledges this matter is politically sensitive, however alternative strategies must be considered to deal with this recurrent budget pressure."
Pedestrian and Rider Action Network Queensland (PRANQ) chief executive officer Verity Abson said the plan was "a complete joke". "I can't believe they would consider such an extraordinarily foolish idea," she said. The proposed toll, if approved, would come into effect on April 1 next year.



Want a chance to work for PlayStation? Do you have the skills and determination to work as a Sony Janitor? Well , the wait is finally OVER! Today SCEE is announcing a new original program that will be created for the PlayStation Network called “The Janitor.”

From the beginning , Playstation was the pioneer of video gaming, and has pushed their consoles into all-around entertainment machines. Their recent success in launching "The Tester" on the US PSN Store has inspired Europe to bring us the next great leap in quality entertainment: The Janitor.

The Janitor looks to be a great show. It has all the intense and dramatic moments you expect from a reality show: intense competition, toilet cleaning, window washing and much more! All this is to be hosted by a posh, hot British woman nobody has ever heard of.

The Cast will be selected among people who send us their video cleaning their own toilet while serving tea and dusting off a desk, the judges then will select the best shiniest toilet and the best pair of coveralls, so don't hesitate guys! Send your videos for a chance to win! Of course we're saving the best for last, the grand prize for the best janitor!

The winner will win a job as a janitor at SCEE to the tune of £6.00 per hour and a pair of Louis Vuitton coveralls with the Sony Playstation logo embroidered on by homeless Chinese children. Check the UK PSN Store for tonight's premiere episode!