Jobs That's Take Your Breath Away

Jobs That's Take Your Breath Away - "Wind can stop your heart," Richard Capozzi says. "It has a lot more strength than people think. It catches your seat and pushes you. It can lift you up, swing you left, right or spin you around, and tangle your ropes. That's when you get down." Throughout the years, he's developed a sixth sense for bad weather.

Jobs That's Take Your Breath Away - High Rise Building Window Cleaner: On a cold day, the wind can be pretty biting when you're 22 stories up on the outside of a building. At least that's what Richard Capozzi says. And he'd know. The veteran window cleaner has served as owner and operator of New Haven County Window Cleaners LLC, a high- and low-rise building window cleaning service, for almost two decades.

It's an occupation to be taken seriously, he said. It requires competency, and ingenuity along with a healthy dose of controlled fear. "There's no such thing as 'afraid,' " he explained. "Each time you calculate your equipment, everything you're using, everything you hook up, it helps control the fear."

Wearing a plethora of safety equipment and attached to a lifeline, he and his crew perform controlled descents down the side of high rise buildings in what's known as a bosun's chair to do the obvious: clean windows.

And it's not just with a bottle of Windex and a handful of paper towels. Sometimes the windows have 10 years' worth of grime and oxidation, which requires chemical applications and repeated cleanings to restore them to their original splendor.

The gig is largely weather-dependent, and if the wind is blowing greater than 15 to 20 mph, the crew doesn't go out. But sometimes, there are unexpected gusts, much like rogue waves on the ocean. And when they occur, according to Capozzi, it's more than a little spooky.

"Wind can stop your heart," he said. "It has a lot more strength than people think. It catches your seat and pushes you. It can lift you up, swing you left, right or spin you around, and tangle your ropes. That's when you get down."

It's not a job where you take risks, he said, especially because he's not only responsible for himself, but also for the other members of his cleaning crew. Throughout the years, he's developed a sixth sense for bad weather. "You can almost feel it in your bones when you've done it for so long; you know it's coming."

Capozzi said the best part of his job is the sense of accomplishment he gets when he's completed a challenging project. "When the job is done, you turn around and the sun shines on that building, so you see the before and after and it's sort of like, I win. I did it. And then I point to the building and say, 'See you next year, buddy.' " 

D-Day Window Cleaning Veteran Talks

Ken said: “I was window cleaning before the war and the bloke I was working for said to me, ‘if you come home, there’s always a job here for you’, and that’s what I did.

D-Day 70th anniversary video: Bucknall survivor Ken Wright tells his story of landings - Ken Wright was fighting in France when he heard his brother had been killed. His other brother was risking his life for King and country too. This is his story...

Ken Wright was still a teenager when he was called up to join the infantry and fight the Nazis in the Second World War. Despite his mother, Mary Alice Wright, telling him he could not go because she already had two sons serving in France, Ken found himself in a troop ship on D-Day, about to take part in the invasion of Europe.

D-Day veteran Ken Wright, pictured during the war.

Some time later, he passed through Caen, where his elder brother Ralph was stationed, but in the darkness and the confusion of thousands of troops passing through the area, there was no hope of a chance reunion. Within two months of D-Day, Ralph was dead, killed by mortar fire during intense fighting around Caen. Mrs Wright wouldn’t tell her surviving sons the news until after the war, but Ken found out himself within days, because his brother’s mail instead went to him.

Ken, of Werrington Road, Bucknall, who is now aged 88, said: “The three of us were over in France at the same time. My brother Harry was OK, because he was in the Royal Army Service Corps. He used to take up ammunition. “But I was infantry and Ralph was. He got killed in Caen by a mortar shell. My mother didn’t let me know, but I knew, because I had all his letters. “We were ‘up the line’ and I couldn’t do anything about it. I went to see the padre, but he said there was nothing to do as we couldn’t move. There was nothing to do anyway. After that I didn’t care. I was mad. “I was very thankful that I made it and Harry made it through. “But Ralph didn’t.

Corporal Ralph Wright, of Burslem, was aged 22 when he was killed on August 18, 1944. He is buried at the Bayeaux War Cemetery in France. Ralph was a battle-hardened veteran when he landed on Queen Beach, a sub-division of Sword Beach, on June 6. Ralph fought through France in the early stages of the invasion of Europe, until his death. Meanwhile, his younger brother Ken was an 18-year-old raw recruit serving with the 51st Highland Division – and took part in his very first action on D-Day. He said: “I was 18 and they were calling you up then. You had no option but to go. I went in the Army. I had three months of training in Shrewsbury, then I went out on D-Day – June 6, 1944.

D-Day – June 6, 1944.

“My mother said: ‘You can’t go, your two brothers are out there’. That meant three of the family would be out there, but of course you had got to go, you had no option. “I had joined the North Staffords, but I was transferred to the 51st Highland Division. I was in the infantry – ‘plodders’, as they called them.

“We would get carried away in a big truck, dropped off, then we would probably have to walk four or five miles to get to the action. It was hard, but when you are young, it didn’t bother you much. “After training, we went out on a big troop ship on D-Day. It was a happy atmosphere on the crossing. We were singing ‘It’s A Long Way to Tipperary’.

“I was only 18 and I had never been abroad before. It was nice. We were all young, all the same age and when you are 18 or 19-years-old, you don’t bother about the danger. You don’t think anything will happen to you. In any case, there’s nothing you can do about it. “You’ve never been in action. You don’t know what it is like. But you soon find out. “You worry more about those you are leaving behind. There was only my mother and my sister, Joan.”

On D-Day, the 51st Highland Division landed as a second echelon division to support and fill in behind the first wave. Ken said: “I just followed the others off the beach. All you did was you got your head down, because you could hear the shells coming over. “Then, when it stops, you walk on. If it’s a good way to march, when you stop, you dig a trench and that’s where you stay.

“I can remember we stopped at a cemetery in Belgium and there were all these coffins ready to be put down and that acted as a trench, which was a bit naughty. “After every little battle you always buried your dead – whoever was in your own company. “You would wrap them in a blanket and bury them in a hole. After the war, the War Graves Commission came and dug them up and buried them in cemeteries and that’s what happened to Ralph.

“If you were not fighting, we would have a cook and he would do soup or something like that – nothing fancy. If we were going somewhere and came through a farm, we killed the chickens. “I remember one bloke, he was a full corporal, he kicked this pig and killed it – but we all ate it. If you’ve got to eat, you’ve got to eat. “If the Germans had been anywhere, we’d often find eggs left behind, and that helped us a lot. “As an infantry man, a lot of the time you didn’t know when you were going to eat. You had to wait for this little truck to come up with bowls of soup.”

After D-Day, Ken – and the 51st Highland Division – was involved in virtually every major conflict up until the end of the war, including in France, Holland, Ardennes – the notorious Battle of the Bulge – and ultimately, across the Rheine and into Germany itself. “You never forget. It always stays with you – but I don’t like to talk about it,” said Ken.

SWORD invasion beach on D-Day.

“I didn’t worry (that I was killing people). You looked after your mates, and they looked after you. You never have such good mates in Civvy Street as you do in the Army. I had a lot of good friends and I lost a few of them. “We had a bloke from Chesterton. He was going on about what he was going to do when he got out there. He was all wind and nothing else. “We went to Le Havre and we never saw him again. He scarpered – did a runner. He went to a camp in Le Havre. I don’t know what happened to him. He was a waste of time. I didn’t think much of him.

“We went to one place in Germany, we were going through these houses we broke in. “There was one where there was a cellar full of women and children. They were shouting, don’t throw anything down (like a grenade) and ‘boom’. “We didn’t, but we went down just to make sure there were no Jerries and they really were just women and children. “In those days, we didn’t have much pity, but I would hate to think I did something like that.”

After the war, Ken returned to his job as a window cleaner, which he did until he retired. He married his wife Lily, now aged 84, in 1952 and the couple had one son, Gary Ralph Wright, now aged 50, and two grandchildren, Christopher, aged 26, and Grace, aged 23. Ken’s second brother Harry died many years ago from lung cancer, aged 49, but he is still close to his sister, Joan Pedley, now aged 84.

Ken said: “I was window cleaning before the war and the bloke I was working for said to me, ‘if you come home, there’s always a job here for you’, and that’s what I did.

“I was de-mobbed from the Army at the end of the war. We were given £40, which was a bit of a pension, but once it was gone you didn’t get anymore. “But you didn’t have a lot of money. It was quite hard for them back home to live. “I used to get 21 shillings as a soldier and I would send 14 bob of that home. Mother had not got any money really. Some of the lads hit the town, but I used to save my money and bring it home. “I had some good times as well. I enjoyed some of it. But there were a lot of bad times. “I do like to go over to France to see Ralph’s grave. I will go again. I would go every month if I could.”

3 Window Cleaning Business Owners

Mark Holt (L) and Jake Edwards are partners in A-One Window Cleaning. They are cleaning windows at Mt. Holyoke College.

Voices of the Valley: Mark Holt and Jake Edwards, owners, A-One Window Cleaning, Inc., Amherst - A-One Window Cleaning, Inc. has been in business since 1984. Jake Edwards is a native of Hatfield and I'm from Holyoke. We took over the business in 2013 after being employees for five years. Between Jake and I, we have over 20 years experience coast to coast ranging from small house window cleaning to 66-story high rise window cleaning.

We are a window cleaning company but, we have a wide variety of services. Besides commercial, and residential window cleaning, we offer building and house washing, pressure washing, roof washing, gutter cleaning, solar panel cleaning, shower door restoration, and small window repairs, basically we detail properties top to bottom.

Our competitive prices, and our wide variety of services have kept us busy. So we really haven't had to change much due to the rocky economy. Not many people realize that keeping your windows clean, and in proper working order can save you quite a bit of money on utility bills. Solar panel cleaning is also a great way of generating more energy.

We really care about the environment. Unlike most companies, we use a completely biodegradable, eco-friendly window cleaning soap for all of the residential properties we clean. It has no phosphates or ammonia. Not only is our soap completely green; it also softens water to reduce overall dirt redeposition. This leaves a longer lasting clean on your glass.

Word of mouth has been the best success for us. Websites like Yelp, and Angie's List have been great as well, but we find that keeping our customers satisfied, and going above and beyond with our work is our secret to success. There are other window cleaners in our area but, with our loyal customers, and our dedication to our work, we normally don't have a problem getting customers and keeping them satisfied. Currently we have six employees, but with the amount of work we have coming up, we are hiring.

Air Force veteran Charles Lewis is the president of Montgomery-based Supreme Cleaning, a facility maintenance company. Founded in 2007, it offers janitorial, pressure washing and window cleaning service up to two stories, and recently expanded into landscape service. Its clients include Alabama Power and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The company’s employee count varies but is usually between 15 and 18, and all of his employees are veterans. Lewis talked with the Advertiser about his business:
 

How is your approach to the business different than other people who do this?
We’ve been very conservative in our growth strategies. Measured growth is probably the best way to describe it.

How did you go about that?
We started out with state contracts, but eventually we weaned ourselves off of those. We found that we had a number of state contracts but as the fiscal year changed, they would be slow in payments. So we went with (the) private sector. We’re certified now as a service disabled veteran-owned business by (Veterans Affairs), and we’re competing for federal contracts on a regional basis.

What’s ahead for the business at this point?
It’s going to be private sector and federal (business) moving forward. We’re working on a regional basis right now, but it’s measured growth. You don’t take on any more than you can chew unless it’s through strategic alliances with other organizations.

Not your average cleaning lady (Hillsborough) - S&G Cleaning Services is committed to excellence. Cleaning has been an integral part of S&G Cleaning Services owner Shirley Perlinsky’s life for as long as she can remember. The native of Brazil says her grandmother was her inspiration.

“When I was a child, growing up in a very modest neighborhood in Brazil, my grandmother lived with us,” Perlinsky writes on her company website. “Never one to sit idle and watch the world go by, it seemed as though she was always busy and that usually involved cleaning something. Whether it was the floors, the windows or the kitchen counters, no stain or speck of dirt ever escaped her attention. Cleaning was her passion and she made sure to communicate that to the younger members of the family.”

Perlinsky studied marketing and advertising in Brazil and ran a marketing research company for 10 years before moving to the United States, where she took over her mother’s cleaning company. She used her marketing background to expand the business. “She gave me a notebook with all the clients’ names in it, and I was shocked that there was no technology in the cleaning business in this area, or at least at that moment when I was starting out,” Perlinsky said. “That’s when I used my marketing experience to grow the business to a point where I could get the money to put technology into the business. We now have five computers running the business with maid service software. Our cars are equipped with GPS tracking systems to know exactly where the crew is at any given moment.”

S&G is not your typical cleaning lady. Employees are thoroughly screened and trained with videos, manuals and hands-on instruction. They also receive bonuses for exceptional service. Perlinsky said that the happiness of S&G employees is a core value of the business. “We are very focused on our employees,” she said. “When you treat your employees well, they will treat their clients the same way.” S&G also prides itself on its use of environmentally safe cleaning products.

When Hurricane Irene struck in August 2011, the offices of S&G Cleaning Services suffered major damage. As a result, the company moved to its current Hillsborough location. In addition, the storm inspired S&G to become certified in water damage cleanup, in order to help other victims of flooding.

For more than 30 years, Perlinsky said, she has dedicated her business to providing excellent cleaning services and also giving back to the community. S&G Cleaning Services is a major participant in Cleaning for Heroes, a nonprofit organization that provides free cleaning services to disabled and elderly veterans and retirees of local police and fire departments. The company is also involved with a similar group called Cleaning for a Reason, which provides cleaning services to women with cancer.

S&G’s services include home and office cleaning, window cleaning and carpet cleaning. The company serves clients throughout Somerset, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris and Union Counties. Perlinsky runs the business with her husband Gary.

Cheerful Low-Balling Window Cleaning Veteran Died From Ladder Fall

Is your life worth a few pennies?

Fatal plunge window cleaner was keeping up his Cheetham Hill round for ‘pennies’ - Michael Corlett, described by friends as ‘colourful’ and ‘cheerful’, refused to give up his traditional beat but only charged customers a nominal fee. A 73-year-old retired window cleaner fell off his ladder and died after keeping up his rounds for ‘pennies’.
 

Michael Corlett, described by friends as ‘colourful’ and ‘cheerful’, refused to give up his traditional beat in the heart of Cheetham Hill but only charged customers a nominal fee. Tragically he plunged to his death in December last year while cleaning windows at the house of good pal Charles Daly. A coroner’s inquest heard how two passing binmen saw the pensioner fall from the first floor window of the Kenford Walk property on December 12 and raced to his aid.

Binman Paul Lyons and a colleague, along with Mr Daly and a neighbour, tried to revive the stricken pensioner. He was raced to Salford Royal but died later that evening. Piyali Pal, a consultant pathologist at Salford Royal, said the pensioner had suffered significant head and spinal injuries.

Although Mr Corlett, who lived in Harpurhey, was on blood-thinning medicine warfarin, the doctor added there was no evidence he had suffered a stroke or heart attack while on the ladder. Coroner Nigel Meadows said the veteran window cleaner’s death was the result of an accident. He added: “Sadly they were serious head injuries which weren’t survivable.”

Speaking after the inquest, friends of Mr Corlett, a single man who was not believed to have children, paid tribute. Mr Daly said: “I know he did the windows cheap after he retired. He was an obliging chap, but he’d just surprise you by popping up in your back yard. You’d turn around and he’d just be standing there.”

And another friend Jim Bradley, 85, a retired hospital porter, said: “He’d come and go as he pleased. “He was a bit of a romancer, always telling you tall tales. You were never sure what to believe. “Even after he got his pension, he’d still turn up and just charge a couple of quid, pennies sometimes. “I don't think he cared about the money.”

Council responds after death of tenant who fell from top-floor window while cleaning mould-ridden flat: Dacorum Borough Council has released a statement after hearing that one of their tenants fell to his death from a top-floor flat while trying to get rid of mould. The news was revealed today at the inquest of David Vibert, who fell through the window of Leverstock Green’s nine-storey Pelham Court on October 27 last year. Herts Coroners Court heard that the 52-year-old and his dad had to wash everything with bleach to remove fungus, and get rid of a lot of David’s bedding and curtains.

He took the safety latches off his windows and left them wide open to get rid of the smell, but later fell out while redecorating in that area. Dacorum Borough Council, which owns the flat, was not represented at David’s inquest today, and this afternoon spokesman Luisa Clarke said the authority did not even know it was happening. 

The council has now released a statement from Fiona Williamson, from its housing landlord service. It says: “We have heard that the inquest was held today into the tragic death of Mr David Vibert last October. “Dacorum Borough Council was not asked to attend and we understand that a verdict of accidental death was recorded. First and foremost, our thoughts go out to Mr Vibert’s family and friends. “Following Mr Vibert’s fall we cooperated with the police investigation. Our housing officers also visited tenants at Pelham Court to address any concerns that they may have had. “If any of our tenants want to contact us about their properties or request a repair, they can call us on 01442 228000.”

Window Cleaning New Year News

Francisco Gonzalez, bottom, and Eric Simpox of Cty Wide Window Cleaning erected a Happy New Year greeting Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 on the Kansas City Life Insurance Co., building, 3520 Broadway Street in Kansas City, Mo. 

Edgardo Gomez of Triple D Window Cleaning races along and tries to keep warm while cleaning store front windows at the Doylestown Shopping Center Thursday afternoon. Click to enlarge.

'Code Blue' weather advisory called for Montco: The Montgomery County Commissioners have declared a Code Blue cold weather emergency for overnight Tuesday based on temperature forecasts from the National Weather Service. The Code Blue has been issued starting at 9 p.m. Tuesday and continuing through 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to Montgomery County Communications Director Frank Custer. Custer said a Code Blue Declaration is made in Montgomery County when “the combined air temperature and wind chill is predicted to be under 20 degrees Fahrenheit” based on 24-hour increments. “It’s recommended by our department of public safety and approved by our county commissioners. We take these Code Blues seriously,” Custer said. Since weather conditions during a Code Blue pose a threat to individuals without shelter, several warming shelters have been set up throughout the county. 

Veteran walking across U.S. prepares for next phase: Mac McQuown intends to walk 15,000 miles and visit each U.S. state capitol in an effort to help fellow veterans. McQuown, a former sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, started his ambitious Operation Walk America on Sept. 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the terrorists attacks. He set out from his residence in Stafford, Va., wearing a desert camouflage uniform and bush cover, and pulling a four-wheeled cart with a tent, food, tools and first-aid supplies. “I figured I could stop and educate people about veterans' needs much better by walking at 3 mph than pulling a sign with a truck at 55 mph,” McQuown said. He walked to Ground Zero in New York, then headed south, ending up in Ocala around Christmas to visit his sister. 

On the first leg, McQuown covered 1,373 miles, wore out four pairs of combat boots and lost 35 pounds. He visited six capitols, including Tallahassee, where a crowd of about 50 officials and journalists met him. The next leg will begin Jan. 7, when McQuown leaves Ocala and heads west. McQuown, 51, was born in Stuttgart, Germany, while his father served in the U.S. Army. The family traveled extensively during McQuown's youth. Following service in the Army reserves, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1981 to 1988, first as a radioman and later as an embassy guard in Budapest, Moscow and Warsaw. After leaving the service, McQuown worked as a contractor, iron worker, bouncer and truck driver, and operated a window cleaning businesses.

Fury as State pays €50,000 to wash windows:  Taxpayers have footed an astonishing €50,000 bill to clean the space between double-glazed windows on a single government building. The cash was budgeted by the Department of Social Protection to carry out cleaning works on the windows of its headquarters in Dublin city. Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show that the sum was used to hire contractors to clean the small recess between the double glazed windows. And the Herald understands that not all window aisles were cleaned as some of them cannot not be accessed by department officials. The Department claims that work of this nature has not been carried out for eight years and that the funding was found "following a realignment of window cleaning services and costs". Emerald Facility Services undertook the work after winning a competitive tender process to provide window cleaning services for the Department. However, the cost of the work has caused dismay among opposition TDs.

Fianna Fail public expenditure spokesperson Sean Fleming told the Herald: "I'm flabbergasted as to why such a significant amount of money would be spent on something like this. "It doesn't make sense at all and unless it is being done to improve the double glazing, well then it's hopeless. "You cannot blame the public for feeling furious when they come across spending like this." And Independent TD for Dublin North Central Finian McGrath labelled the costs "scandalous". "At a time when pensioners are being stripped to the bones, seeing these kinds of amounts being flung around on areas that will have little or no benefit to the public is scandalous. "Nothing seems to be past this Government in terms of pure wastage of public money. It's simply not acceptable." In a statement to the Herald, a department official said: "The work in question comprises the cleaning of the inner windows and the blinds and voids in the internal windows in this building. It is about eight years since these works were last carried out. "In addition, the windows themselves are old and the air-conditioning system impacts on the structure. "The possibility of carrying out these works had been deferred for some time, principally because of lack of funding," the statement added.

Calendar boys help out brave cancer sufferer Ruby Owen: A window cleaner, a barber and a plumber are among a group of men who have stripped off for a fund-raising calendar. Organisers behind The Seven Shades Calendar are hoping the venture will help raise thousands for five-year-old cancer sufferer Ruby Owen and the Donna Louise Children's Hospice. The calendar's seven willing volunteers are photographed in various locations across Ruby's home town of Kidsgrove including a launderette and a fish and chip shop. The amateur models, who are all from Kidsgrove, are no strangers to baring all for charity after previously helping raise around £5,000 by taking part in their version of The Full Monty this year. Organiser Joanna Leighton, aged 38, of Kidsgrove, said: "After the lads did the strip we were talking in the pub and someone just mentioned for a joke that they should do a calendar next."
Two hundred and fifty calendars have been printed with the majority already sold. Each month features all seven lads baring all with their modesty left intact thanks to a series of carefully placed objects. Joanna, who organises fund-raising events alongside Jemma Chadwick and Dave Waterhouse, added: "It is all tastefully done and is just a bit cheeky really. "It's a male version of the Calendar Girls." The 2013 calendars were launched during a black tie event, which organisers hoped would help them achieve a £5,000 target. "It will be a fantasy for the women and a dartboard for the men," said barber Scott Donaldson, one of the models. Window cleaner Chris Donnelly (far right), aged 24, of Liverpool Road, said: "It took a small amount of time to do it all and hopefully we can raise a lot of money for some good causes. "We did one photograph in a gym which my boss owns and so that was a bit embarrassing as there will be plenty of mickey-taking." In April, a strip show held by the men raised roughly £4,500 for Ruby. The brave youngster is at the Trentham-based Donna Louise where she is being cared for after all efforts to treat her tumours failed.

Major repairs on the horizon for the State Capitol building: When legislators enter Alaska’s capitol building soon for the session, they won’t have to be concerned about falling debris. “It’s our capitol, for crying out loud,” Senator Dennis Egan says. Next summer’s repair of the front entry way can’t come soon enough. He says he’s been documenting areas of deterioration since at least 2006, after a window washer noticed loose pieces of sandstone on exterior ledges. “This needs to happen as soon as possible,” says Don Johnston, State Capitol Building Manager. “We would cordon off the area down below and he would remove those pieces for us,” Johnston says. He says the entrance is the most critical area. “If we’re talking life safety issues, there is no worse area,” Johnston says.

Ski bum by birth and right: Katrina DeVore has spent almost all of her 25 years living in Aspen, and much of that time has been on skis. Born at Aspen Valley Hospital, DeVore’s parents had her on sticks before she was 2 years old, guiding her down the mountain between their legs. She was enrolled in the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club as soon as she was old enough. Other than heading off to college in the East, DeVore has never really ventured out of her mountain hamlet other than for freestyle competitions and two stints living abroad when she was little. Sporting bright colored Strafe Outerwear ski gear, one of her sponsors, DeVore can usually be found on either Ajax or Aspen Highlands tearing down the hill. Easy to smile with a big dimple on her left cheek, she is well known both on and off the mountain. As with most ski bums trying to scrape by, DeVore holds down three different jobs — working as a ski instructor at Buttermilk during peak season, checking coats at Belly Up and working as a window washer. She credits her rock climbing skills to the latter job, saying she never truly understood the phrase “getting gripped” until working high above the ground while cleaning glass.

Local traditions for New Year's Eve: Cynthia Toothman and her daughter Stephanie spend New Year's Eve making thin cookies called Pizzelles. It's just one thing on the family's to-do list. "We make sure we that we clean the house from top to bottom to get all the old energy out for the New Year,” Toothman says. And while they're cleaning, the Toothman's leave coins on every single window sill. “For prosperity, we make sure we put coins on our window sills that way you always have a little something coming in rather than going out,” she says. “We didn't take any chances this year, we put paper with our coins because of the fiscal cliff." It's a tradition the Toothman family has done for years.

Christmas Day surprise for our wedding winners: A couple who had their dream wedding day thanks to The Post celebrated the birth of their second child on Christmas Day. Charlotte and Pete Oliver, who live in Birch Road, Yate, tied the knot in April after winning our Win a Wedding competition. The lucky pair scooped everything they needed to make their big day special. But their happiness was not to end there, as just a few days after getting married, Charlotte realised she was pregnant. And although the baby was not due until January 4, she surprised Charlotte and Peter by arriving on Christmas Day. The couple had opened their presents and eaten lunch with their four-year-old son Ryan when Charlotte's contractions began. They went to Southmead Hospital, where Mallie May Oliver was born at 11.31pm, weighing 7lbs 11oz.

The family could not be happier about their special arrival. Charlotte, a personal assistant, and Pete, a window cleaner, met more than four years ago through a mutual friend and it was not long before their son Ryan came along. They were already saving up for their wedding, after Pete proposed on Christmas Eve 2010. But with a young child and a mortgage to pay it wasn't easy for the pair and they did not know when they would be able to get married. Then in 2011 Charlotte's sister, Joanne Faulkner, saw what a struggle saving money was for the couple and decided to enter them into The Post's Win a Wedding competition, which included a £12,000 package.

The House Designers Pick Top 10 Home Building Products from 2012: When it came to windows, a clear choice for new construction was the Integrity® Wood-Ultrex® series which combines a real wood pine interior with a highly durable fiberglass exterior. A great feature about the double-hung windows is that the top and bottom sashes tilt and remove easily for hassle-free cleaning and are now available in custom sizes.

Ralph Chirico, Sr., age 91, of Corning passed away peacefully at home after a long illness surrounded by his loving family on Thursday, December 27, 2012. Ralph was born May 4, 1921 in Castel Saint Giorgio, Italy to Giro and Anna (Sarno) Chirico and came to the United States with his parents and settled in Yonkers, NY and on February 2, 1946, he married Philomena DiTore in Yonkers. He served in the Marine Corps during World War II with the 3rd Marine Division in the South Pacific. He saw action on the islands of Bougainville, Guam, and earned the Purple Heart on Iwo Jima. He owned and operated Corning Window Cleaning Company for many years. Family gatherings with his wife, children, and grandchildren were everything to him. He loved taking photographs, especially of his family. Three things were important to him: faith, family, and work. 

Vicious pitbull attack: A man whose stomach was savaged by a suspected pitbull as he tried to visit a village shop has today spoken of his horrific ordeal. John Hulls, 48, from Ingol, Preston, was viciously attacked as he visited the shop on his way home from work. The incident comes as new figures from Preston Council show more than 1,800 escaped, dumped and suspected out-of-control dogs have been seized by enforcement officers in the city in the past six years. Mr Hulls was attacked by an animal that had been left tied up outside the Nisa convenience store, in Village Green Lane, Ingol, at the door and as Mr Hulls walked in the dog attacked him without being provoked. He managed to pull away and was left with a number of injuries, but believes the attack would have been much worse if the dog had not been tied up.

It was the third dog bite attack outside the same set of shops in the last few weeks. Members of the public were so concerned at the reports of dog bites in the area that they raised the issue as a priority at the PaCT meeting for Ingol and Tanteron. The Evening Post joined a team of six officers as they seized a dog from a terraced home on Tag Croft, Ingol. It is believed to belong to a window cleaner who lives at the address with other family members. Two children watched from the window as the dog was led into a plastic crate and put into a waiting police van. Neighbours came out of their homes to watch and one man gave verbal abuse to police officers. A short time later the dog’s owner returned home. He will be interviewed by police at a later date.

Community Futures (CF) Sunrise has revealed the winners in the 2012 edition of the YouthBiz competition. Nearly 249 students registered for this year's contest. A total of $2,400 in prize money was awarded to students in southeast Saskatchewan for creating their business ideas and developing their business plans. "2012 marks the seventh year this youth business competition has been offered by CF Sunrise," said Verna O'Neill of CF Sunrise. "Each year the number of students participating, which I think reflects the entrepreneurial mindset we have in the southeast. YouthBiz aims to assist young people in experiencing what it's like to be a business owner. "Students plan out all facets of their imagined business idea and describe their business set-up process. Some students have commented that they plan to implement their ideas and make money in the summer or after graduating." Achievement awards were also given to students whose entries displayed what CF described as outstanding qualities. Dylan Aeichele from Spruce Ridge School in Estevan won an award for his start-up/ready entry, Dylan's Window Washing. YouthBiz achievement award winner Dylan Aeichele and his teacher, Graeme Summers, pose with Aeichele's plaque.

Self-Cleaning Window Markets Report 2013 (Single User $1,995.00): Summary - The key objective of this report is to identify and quantify the market for self-cleaning windows worldwide. With regard to quantifying the self-cleaning windows market, we include a detailed eight-year forecast in volume and value terms. The methodology for these projections is to be found in Chapter Three of this report. Since the market for self-cleaning windows is one with relatively few participants at the present time, an appraisal of the current self-cleaning windows products on the market and a critical review of some of the latest R&D in this space is presented here.

Finally, we note that the subject of this report is primarily restricted to self-cleaning windows.  We acknowledge that this is part of bigger trends and we discuss these trends to some extent in what follows. For example, we take a look at how the self-cleaning windows trend fits into more general R&D work targeting self-cleaning surfaces as a whole. We also examine how self-cleaning capabilities may be incorporated into conventional insulated glazing units (IGUs) and smart windows.  And we have something to say about self-cleaning capabilities in the solar panel space, a market where there are some overlapping drivers, markets and potentially product integrations with the self-cleaning windows.

101 Uses For Your Credit Card: Winter is upon us and this often means cold and frosty starts and sessions outside in the morning clearing the car windows. It seems that motorists in the UK are coming up with many and varied ways to do this, not all of which are to be recommended. A recent poll by a leading car cleaning products supplier has revealed the country’s guilty secrets about how they clear ice from windscreens. Apparently, the trusty ice scrapper, built for purpose, is not as popular as it perhaps once was with drivers using credit cards, spatulas, boiling water and their hands to remove frost from car windows all of which could scrap the window surface impairing the visibility. Some ill-advised drivers even pour a spot of their favourite tipple on the windscreen to clear the view. Boiling water was used by around 15% of motorists; however, this is not recommend as it can cause the windscreen to crack or even shatter because of the extreme change in temperature. And those using alcohol are probably not aware that it can damage the rubber seals around the windows. The best way to clear the frost off your car is a good old fashioned ice scrapper, a bit of elbow grease and if you feel you need it a good quality de-icer that won’t spoil the seals.

Sheriff's Crime Log - Petty theft, 23000 block Lakeview Drive. RP had tools and equipment stolen out of vehicle. Taken was a plastic tub containing window-washing equipment. Taken from truck bed sometime Sunday or Monday of prior week. Equipment valued at $600.

City council to use cherry-picker in bid to cut £1m repair bill: Housing workers are to use an industrial cherry-picker for repairs at council houses – to help cut an annual bill of almost £1 million for scaffolding. Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Kier have agreed to invest in the 'mobile platform' to allow contractors to carry out work on security lights and roofs without forking out for scaffolds. Health and safety officials banned ladders after a worker was seriously injured in a fall. Scaffolding is now used for repairs at heights, which led to a £957,000 bill for the cash-strapped city council last year. The firm, which repairs and maintains council houses and public buildings, said the cherry-picker would reduce the use of scaffolding by up to 50 per cent for 'certain types of repair' – as well as speeding up jobs. Council tenant Jim Gibson, chairman of Chell Health Residents' Association, said: "In a lot of cases a couple of steps would be enough to do the job but they're not allowed. It's one thing to protect workers, but this is health and safety gone stupid. "If there's only going to be one cherry-picker dealing with all of the repairs I don't think it will really solve the problem. "At the moment they tell us they can do the work but we'll have to wait for the scaffolding. Now it'll be the same but we'll just have to wait until the cherry-picker is available."
Councillor Dave Conway, leader of the opposition City Independents and a former cabinet member for housing, said: "My house is very tall, especially at the back as there is a drop, but the window cleaner doesn't put up scaffolding or use a cherry-picker – and imagine what it would cost if he did. I also live on a walk, like a lot of people do, and there's no chance they'll be getting a cherry-picker down here. "It's health and safety crackers and, like a lot of things they come up, with there are many pitfalls." A Kier spokesman said: "The mobile elevated work platform enables staff to carry out maintenance and repairs at a height of up to 17 metres, including roof and chimney repairs. "Depending on how it's used it is forecast the introduction of the platform may reduce the use of scaffolds by up to 50 per cent for certain types of repair – as well as providing an enhanced customer service by getting the job done more quickly and safely." A city council spokesman said the cherry-picker will provide 'greater value for money'.

The mega-trend at work in the workplace is that in developed economies, people are increasingly not at work. The algorithms used by the search engines in the travel sites are now so sophisticated that even a good travel agent cannot compete, whether on price, richness of offer (how many alternatives) or technical factors, such as accessibility (going online at midnight), speed and efficiency. The result is that human travel agents have been rendered expensive and inefficient, so that, in the travel business at least, the process of technological change has reached passed the point where humans are no longer necessary. Physical travel agencies employing human agents are on the way to extinction. The same is true for a large range of professions, jobs and places of work. Brokers and intermediaries are the most vulnerable – travel, insurance and other agents – but much larger swathes of the labor force are affected. The travel agencies that don’t exist anymore don’t employ cleaning ladies, window cleaners or even computer technicians, and their staff don’t buy lunch at the nearby eateries – and so on.

When daredevil Dan Goodwin tried to climb the World Trade Center's north tower in 1983, NYPD cop George Toth (pictured) braved the heights and threw him a lifeline. The Staten Islander died on Monday at the age of 85. George Toth, a decorated NYPD emergency services cop honored for saving a thrill seeker climbing the World Trade Center’s north tower in 1983, died Monday of complications stemming from a kidney tumor. He was 85. The life-long Staten Islander and his partner Richie Seaberg received an award for bravery after they lowered themselves down the 110-story tower to coax daredevil Dan Goodwin into forgoing his climb of the once-iconic building. “The police helicopters were flying below us, that’s how high up we were,” remembered Seaberg, who is retired and living in Pennsylvania. “But I trusted George with my life.” Goodwin snubbed the officers, but the cops ended up saving his life by throwing him a safety line when the window-washing tracks ripped away from the building. “If he wasn’t up there, that climber would have fallen,” recalled Toth’s son Stephen, who followed the 34-year veteran into the Emergency Services Unit and later worked with him.

Window Cleaning News

It's My Job: Sparkle and shine - Walk past a clean set of windows in the Fargo-Moorhead area, and there’s a good chance Tim Olson and his squeegee have been on the scene. Olson, founder and owner of Mr. Sparkle Window Cleaning, has been scouring windows around town since he launched the company in 1998. A Fargo native with a background in business management, Olson has kept his operation in the family: His wife, Lori, runs the office, and his sister Nancy does part-time seasonal work. His business keeps a low profile and doesn’t advertise much but has carved out a niche through word-of-mouth referrals. “Almost all our calls, when they call in, say, ‘You do my neighbor’s house, or you do this person’s house,’ ” he said. “To me, it shows that we’re doing a good job.” We caught up with Olson to talk about the right way to clean a window, working through winter, and the inspiration behind his company name.



How’d you get into window washing?
I had done it when I was in college, and it was a good fit. I wanted to own a business someday. It’s a great business. I like working outside. I like moving, being around, seeing people. I don’t like being stuck in an office.

Is there a secret to washing a window correctly?
The thing that would surprise most people is how long it takes to get the technique right. I have people come up to me and say “Would you show me real quick?” so they can go home and do it, but when I train people, it takes them a good month at 40 hours a week for them to even start to get it down. There’s all sorts of little tricks.

Is there a busy time of year for you?
Spring and fall – spring is obviously the busiest, but it gets busy before winter, too. With graduations, the end of May, we’re just swamped. People already have scheduled next year for their graduations, my regular customers that know we get that busy.

You work in all seasons, don’t you?
Yes. It’s a good thing I’m from here because I’m used to the winters. We’re pretty hardy, I guess. We use alcohol to keep the water from freezing, so it’s more about keeping yourself warm, keeping your fingers warm, and just knowing what you can tolerate.

What can you tolerate?
I’ve done it to 40-below wind chill, but that’s tough. You’re out maybe about five minutes, and then you’re warming up. You can’t do it much longer.

Have you ever had any close calls on the ladder?
Just once, and it was this year. The ladder started to slide out from me, but I had my partner with me, and he was able to grab it. Jumped your heart for a little bit for a little while. I was actually inside a house, and they had a nice tile floor. I thought I had the ladder secure enough, but it just started sliding very slowly, and I just sat there and held on for dear life until he got over to the ladder and just kept watching it go down the wall. I suppose I was probably 15 feet up.

The name “Mr. Sparkle” is a famous reference to “The Simpsons” (it was the name of a mysterious Japanese cleaning product on the show). Is that how that came about?
Yes, it is. I’m a big “Simpsons” fan, and when we created our list of names, Mr. Sparkle was one of the names on there, and my wife said, “You’re not using that name.” As we kept eliminating names, it kept rising up to the top, and finally it was the last name.

War veteran, 83, facing eviction from the council house he's lived in for 74 years to make way for a 'family in need' - An 83-year-old war veteran who has lived in the same council house for 74 years is being evicted after the death of his sister left him living alone. Edward Meakins fears moving out of his life-long home will kill him but Barnet Council wants to use the three-bedroom property for one of the rising number of families needing large council homes. He moved into the house in Cricklewood, north-west London, with his parents and four siblings in 1936 but is now the only resident after his sister Margaret died in May. Mr Meakins, who also worked as a window cleaner for 25 years, said: 'I don't want a flat. I don't like the idea of it at all. It's very important for me that I stay here. 'I have been very worried about it. I wouldn't last long in a flat, it would kill me. 'I have got my garden and all my life here, so why do they want to take it all away from me?' Support has been flooding in for Mr Meakins, including a Facebook petition urging Barnet Homes to reverse its decision. So far, more than 3,000 people have joined the group, titled 'Save 83yr old Edward Meakins from being forced out of his home of 74 years'.

Your Mr. Rogers' windows come with many features designed to make cleaning easier. However, when you don't have to clean your windows very often, it's easy to forget. Renewal by Andersen windows from Mr. Rogers let you clean the entire window from the inside. The top and bottom windows tilt inside so you can reach the inside and outside glass. Your Windows Are Worry-Free—Not Dirt Free! So Here's How to Clean Them!

Family pay tribute to tragic dad: Relatives last night spoke for the first time about the death of a man as he played with his son in a paddling pool. Window cleaner Neal Jefferies, 30, was spending a Sunday afternoon playing in the back garden with three-year-old son Liam, when he suddenly collapsed and died. His sister Katie has now pledged to complete a charity challenge he was planning. Mr Jefferies’ partner Roberta Sim, 30, who was upstairs with nine-month-old Scott at their home in Ferguson Place, Abingdon, came down to find him lying face down in the pool.

Ex-miners claim injuries were under-compensated: A group of former miners who suffered industrial injuries are claiming they received inadequate compensation from a government scheme. The men have "vibration white finger" - a condition that causes pain or numbness - and are pursuing payments to cover tasks such as gardening and DIY. The government has said the scheme was administered fairly. BBC legal affairs analyst Clive Coleman said it had since emerged that some ex-miners were under-compensated for the "services" they could no longer provide for their families, such as gardening, car-washing, window-cleaning and DIY.

Stylish, affordable and now available fully furnished, Debut by Redrow apartments are proving popular in Selby, North Yorkshire. Debut apartments make ideal starter homes and to help those stepping on to the property ladder, the award winning house builder is offering a ‘first home pack’. “Looking after your money and keeping track of bills in your first home can be tricky, but at Debut @ Selby budgeting couldn’t be easier as gas, electricity and water charges, even the window cleaning, are included in a single monthly service charge,” Patsy explained.

Sky dancers wow downtown Dallas spectators: All the sky is a stage, or at least the sky surrounding Thanksgiving Tower is. Aerial dance company Project Bandaloop dangled, leapt and climbed through the downtown Dallas sky on Tuesday in a promotion for an energy company. The group has performed on skyscrapers around the world. Below, safely on the ground, a crowd of hundreds gathered, their necks strained. Look up in the sky! Is it a window washer? A bungee jumper? Is it Superman? Maybe Spiderman? No, none of the above.

Cleaning "Essentials" You Can Stop Using for Good: GLASS CLEANER - Once upon a time, I thought that specialty cleaner - you know, that ubiquitous blue stuff - was a must-have for your cleaning caddy. Years ago, I learned that many cleaning experts don't opt for a window or glass cleaner to make their windows and glass shine. It turns out that a simple few squirts of dishsoap in a bucket of warm water makes the best solution for cleaning windows and glass. (Others swear by white vinegar.) And, since you've ditched your paper towels, use newspaper to buff glass to a shiny finish -- it won't leave lint or streaks behind.

Leaking Fish Pond Leads To $300K Pot Bust: FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - A water leak from a business led to the discovery of a pot-growing operation and 151 pot plants, said investigators in Forsyth County. Authorities said they found the marijuana at Georgia Window Works on Union Hill Road. Derrick Eads, 50, is facing felony charges, including manufacturing marijuana and possession with intent to distribute, after authorities said they found $300,000 worth of marijuana in his business.
Channel 2 Action News reporter Carol Sbarge went to his business in south Forsyth County on Wednesday, but no one answered the door. The owner of a neighboring business said he had noticed a strong odor, but never suspected someone was allegedly growing marijuana inside Georgia Window Works. “The business next door to this window washing company had noticed water leaking under the wall,” said Capt. Frank Huggins of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said the leak was actually coming from a gold fish pond inside the business. “You never know what might trigger something that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrator. It’s the way karma works,” said Huggins.
When a maintenance worker walked into the business to track down the source of the leak, investigators said the worker saw the pot plants growing in various stages. He immediately called the Sheriff’s Office, police said. A nearby business owner said Eads moved into the office complex earlier this year, but kept to himself. Eads has been released on a $33,330 bond. Previous blog on this here.

Moscow restricts vodka sales to break the drinking habit: Ivan the Terrible boosted its production, Mikhail Gorbachev restricted its sale, and Boris Yeltsin wandered the streets of Washington in his underpants trying to hail a cab to look for pizza after drinking too much of it. Now authorities in Moscow have taken the latest steps in Russians' eternal and deadly dance with vodka. They have announced a ban on the sale of spirits between 10pm and 10am, from September 1. The average Russian drinks 1½ litres of pure alcohol every month, a habit that kills 500,000 people a year. An estimated 51 per cent of vodka is produced on the black market. Factories run illegal night shifts, and huge supplies of moonshine are distilled in villages, where it acts as a second currency. In the 1980s Mr Gorbachev decreed that vodka could be sold only from 2pm to 7pm. Mortality rates dropped as a result but there was a spurt in use of dangerous ''surrogate'' alcohols such as aftershave, shoe polish and window cleaner.

Congress wants to pick your pocket - again. Democrats want to extend the Bush tax cuts for middle-class wage earners only and raise taxes on anyone earning more than $250,000. Of course, since this applies only to "the rich," it won't affect you, right? That opinion couldn't be more wrong. When upper income earner's tax rates climb by 3% or more, the marriage penalty is reinstated, child tax credits are lost, capital gains taxes increase from 15% to 20% (a 33% increase!), and dividend income taxation soars by 160%. It's not just "rich" people who pay and pay. Dollars will disappear from everyone's pockets. To make up for vastly higher taxes, "rich" folks will: Hire less domestic help: In areas such as landscaping, window washing and housekeeping, Joe Public loses big-time.

Street Talk: How do you cope with mosquitoes? Matt Roberson, window washer, Hanover Park: "Lots of bug spray. When we do residential areas, there's swamp and grassy areas where there's water. And dips in their back yards which hold water and are like nesting areas."

Known as Marco's "Window Lady," Sherri Medieros does windows, doors, mirrors, boat windows, condo lobbies, and more. Her See-Thru Window Cleaning has been on Marco since 1987.

FISH WINDOW CLEANING: Announced that Mark Phillips, owner of Fish Window Cleaning in Denver, has received the western region's Rising Star Excellence Award at the company's convention in St. Louis.