Superhero window washers rappel down the side of Children's Hospital in Hershey: Josh Vancena as Spiderman and Edgardo Milan as Batman waving out to fans. Superhero Window Washers Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and Captain America rappelled down the side of Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital in Hershey, fans including patients gathered in their rooms and below to watch on Wednesday Aug 13, 2014.
Superheroes do windows at Penn State Children's Hospital: Window cleaning usually isn't all that entertaining - that is, until Tuesday morning when a high-rise adventure brought smiles to young faces at Penn State Children's Hospital. While patients are taken care of inside, the building is under care outside. It's window washing day. But wait, why are there children watching from below with IVs in tow? "It was a surprise. I had no idea this was going to happen at all," said patient Thomas Judkins.
The surprise: window washers who in a flash turn into superheros! "We had Batman, Superman, Spiderman and Captain America." said Jodi Judkins. "We have our Superhero Window Washers here today to bring a little excitement to our patients and families," said Ashley Kane, manager of the hospital's Child Life Program.
The heroes brought a lot of excitement for children who battle illnesses, like Thomas Judkins. "Thomas is here because he has Chron's disease," his mother, Jodi Judkins said. "He has infusions in the Children's Cancer Center every eight weeks. He has chemo to keep the disease at bay,"
"The kids are just in awe. First of all, watching window washers is just amazing, but to have a superhero come down and wash your windows, it's just really cool for the kids they get really excited. The families just love to see their child smile when they are here in the hospital," Kane said. "This is an amazing event for the kids, especially for Thomas," his mother said. "All of these children suffer a lot and they are very brave. In fact, I think the children are the bravest."
Not only did Northeastern Window Washers employees volunteer to dress up, they purchased their own costumes. This was the second year for the popular superhero window washing show.
Window cleaning business becomes “first of its kind” to join British Franchise Association: Harvard Window Cleaning launches franchise operation with plans to expand nationally. Window cleaning firm Harvard Window Cleaning has launched as a franchise operation with accreditation from the British Franchise Association (bfa); the “first business of its kind” to receive bfa membership.
Launched in 2012 by young entrepreneur Luke Rayner, Harvard Window Cleaning offers commercial, construction and residential window cleaning services and looks after many high-end properties in Poole and Bournemouth.
Over the last two years, the company has secured contracts for several multi-million pound properties in the Sandbanks peninsula and is currently tendering for a contract to clean one of the Royal palaces. It intends to use its new franchise status to roll-out the business across the country, with plans to expand into “leafy” areas of Surrey and “expensive parts” of Britain. It will initially be looking to develop its franchise network in Poole and is seeking to recruit “hard-working, enthusiastic” individuals.
Harvard Window Cleaning founder, Rayner, commented: “We are very proud to be able to franchise our business and we’re the first window cleaning company to be members of the British Franchise Association. “It means we can expand across the country and importantly we can be in total control of the expansion. “In Poole we can train people in how we do things to our own high standards then set them up with a van and all the equipment.” To find out more about becoming a franchisee for Harvard Window Cleaning, click here.
Charity fundraisers Avril Graham and Jim Gamble who have raised over £500,000 for Friends of the Cancer Centre.
The inspirational duo who are cleaning up for cancer charity: Over half a million pounds has been raised in Fermanagh for Friends of the Cancer Centre. “I think people would do without that loaf of bread to give you a pound up the street,” said a delighted Jim Gamble, a well-known window cleaner, who along with Ballinamallard woman Avril Graham has been involved in fund-raising for the charity for over 30 years. Friends of the Cancer Centre may be based in Belfast City Hospital but it has a thriving support group working from Fermanagh led by the two dedicated, passionate volunteers.
It is because of the tireless efforts of the two friends that cancer patients in Fermanagh directly benefit from the projects that the group funds, enabling them to receive treatment, particularly radiotherapy, in Belfast. The charity funds local cancer research, including its recent investment of nearly £1 million for locally led research into clinical trials. It funds three specialist cancer nurses - called clinical nurse specialists - which offer patients expert care and support during and after their cancer treatment.
Most of this work would not be possible without the input from Fermanagh. However, a humble Mr. Gamble is reluctant to take any of the credit, saying: “It is not through us it is because of the public who have been generous - they have put their back into it, really and truly.” The actual amount of money raised to-date could be much more than £500,000, explained the chairman, adding: “It’s a huge sum of money. The wonderful thing is that it has gone from strength to strength. We have more income – every year it is going up and up. It is going well, and it is going that well that we are needing more help.”
Metal detector enthusiast offers to help others after discovering historic items in Tiverton: Just a month after discovering a solid gold Roman coin, Tiverton window cleaner Stephen Lovering has uncovered new treasure and is now offering his services to others free of charge. Stephen, 60, unearthed his latest find last weekend while using his metal detector to search a location in Tiverton which he is keeping strictly under wraps. The metal detecting enthusiast found a bronze ring dating back to the second century lying just six inches underground. He said: “I won’t say where I found it but this was under grass. I moved the turf and it was just lying there so I took a picture of it in the ground before I moved it. “I think it’s a man’s ring because it fits my finger and it has symbols engraved on the top which looks like a sunburst.”
Stephen has been searching for historical artefacts since 1972 after seeing an article about metal detecting. His first detector cost just £15 and Stephen has upgraded his machines throughout his 35 years of detecting, and now uses the internet to study land and unearth Roman sites in the area.
Stephen said that the history behind his finds is what drives his searches and there has been much interest in the Heraclius gold tremessis coin he discovered in June.
He said: “I’ve been contacted by an American radio station that wants to interview me next month about the gold coin. It’s a radio show about metal detecting and they emailed to see if I would be interviewed. “I’m also taking my finds to Tiverton Museum to show them. I use the museum’s Microfiche reader to look at the maps they have and maps are what I need. “I’ve just got an advanced version of Google Earth. I still won’t reveal where I’ve found things because people will descend on the site. What I do is my hard work and my research.”
While Stephen is staying firmly tight-lipped about his search locations, the keen metal detector is more than willing to help others who would like to search for items. Stephen said: “I’m offering a free search service for anyone who has lost jewellery in the past or anyone who wants their land searching. “People can call me anytime; whether it’s a small area or a big piece of land they want searched, I don’t charge. “I offer a 50/50 split on anything I find and I do ask people to sign a metal detecting legal agreement form.”
Superhero window washers brings smiles to sick children (STANFORD, Calif.) - Children being treated at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital got a special treat when they looked out their windows Monday. Hanging from a harness from the roof were several of their favorite superheroes. It was an annual visit created by the window washers at Delta Window Cleaning in Santa Clara. Three of their employees don Spiderman, Superman and Batman outfits and scale down to entertain the children while they work. “It’s difficult for children to be in the hospital,” said hospital spokeswoman Winter Johnson. “We want to make staying at the hospital a magical experience.” From the smiles all around, it definitely proved to be a magical day for the young patients. "It's a simple way for us to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary," said Andrew Rich, director of housekeeping. "We know these legends will brighten everyone's day."
England's traditional crafts are in danger of disappearing, according to the few people still practising them. Clog makers, basket weavers and wood turners have practised their skills for generations but the modern world increasingly has few needs for traditional master craftsmen. Can the skills be passed on to the next generation before it is too late?
Stanley Clark trained as a wooden ladder maker but retired from the trade 20 years ago. "It was the trade I learned as a young man but aluminium ladders came in in the 1960s and 18 months later, nobody wanted the wooden ones," he says. "We used to make more than 2,000 ladders a year, made to measure ones, out of Colombian and Norwegian pine. "Once the aluminium ladders came in, I made the odd one for a window cleaner who wanted a made to measure ladder but that was it. There are now only a few people left who can make the wooden ones." Pictured; Stanley Clark, 75, was a wooden ladder maker (retired) from Northampton.
New CILS-81000TK self-laminating computer printable labels: perfect for hoses and pipes - Computer printable 'in minutes' straight from a standard laser or thermal transfer printer, the new CILS-81000TK self-laminating durable label range adheres permanently to all industrial pipes, flexible hoses and conduits for failsafe long term identification. Featuring a clear 'wrap-around' protective tail, CILS-81000TK labels permanently seal and safeguard all printed variable data for complete protection against chemicals/solvents, hydraulic oils, abrasion and extreme temperature (-196°C to +388°C).
Bees keep Minneapolis City Hall buzzing: Minneapolis City Hall was abuzz, and it had nothing to do with political intrigue. Inhabitants of one of the two beehives installed last year in the Romanesque building’s seldom-seen courtyard had subdivided. The swarm resettled in a honey-gorged beard of bees on a fifth-floor gutter. The job fell to Jim Doten, one of City Hall’s three designated volunteer beekeepers, to pop out of a rooftop hatch with a safety harness to nudge the docile horde into a large box that more typically would hold city files. “Even though they’re mellow at this point, one of them might not have gotten the memo,” said Doten, wearing full protective beekeeper clothing. Once the hives were brought in, the window washing crews were initially nervous. “Even the people who were nervous about it, they seem to really like them now,“ Doten said. “People with the windows on the courtyard really love it.”
Window cleaner Oliver Plowman has appealed an 'unfair' parking ticket he received while cleaning windows in the town centre.
Window cleaner battles council over parking fine: A window cleaner is locked in a ‘David vs Goliath’ style battle with Worthing Borough Council after he was slapped with a parking ticket while working in the town centre. Oliver Plowman, 60, parked his van on the precinct in South Street Square one morning while he cleaned windows in Chapel Road. When he returned to the vehicle a warden had written him a ticket for £70. Mr Plowman said: “I think it’s out of order. I’m a small trader. I was working, I wasn’t shopping. “I want to make a point to the council that there are times when they have got it wrong. I just think it’s unfair.”
Services at the Criminal Courts of Justice, including window-cleaning, security and maintenance, cost €846,000 a month, the Courts Service has said. The cost to the State for the overall design, build, maintenance and provision of support services for the modernised criminal courts complex will top €604 million at the current rate by the time it comes into the ownership of the Courts Service in 2035. The building at Parkgate Street in Dublin 8 is the largest courts project undertaken in the history of the State. The award-winning construction is 11 storeys high and provides 23,000 square metres space with 450 rooms and 22 courts.
Asked for details on the cost of one element of the servicing costs, window-cleaning, the Courts Service said it was not invoiced directly for such services, it did not deal directly with the company which cleaned the windows and did not hold the records sought. Amber Infrastructure and its subcontractors G4S manage the services required to maintain building and deal with the service providers including those providing window-cleaning services. The windows are cleaned by specialists who abseil down the façade. “The cost of constructing and maintaining including cleaning a largely glass external façade would have been built into the pricing of the tender submitted by the successful consortium headed by Amber Infrastructure,” the Courts Service said.
Window cleaning goes on MP’s expenses: Bosworth MP David Tredinnick claimed more than £38,000 from the taxpayer in expenses during the last financial year including £72 for window cleaning at his constituency office. The figure doesn’t include staff costs, covering office fees, accommodation and travel and subsistence only. The previous year, April 2012 to March 2013 the expense bill was £169,213 with £122,391 of that going on payroll. During the same period the Tory politician gave three staff £280 in ‘reward’ payments - which he was able to put on expenses.
MPs are able to legitimately claim back costs incurred in carrying out their Parliamentary duties. Regulator the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority publishes data every year and information on all politicians and their expenses can be accessed on its website. Mr Tredinnick made three claims of £24 each for the window cleaning at the local HQ in Priory Walk, Hinckley. One claim listed the cost as being ‘a third of the bill’. IPSA paid the claims made in June and September last year and January this year.
South Shields residents hemmed in by overgrown weeds: Nettles and weeds which surround a flats complex in South Tyneside put elderly residents at risk of being trapped in the event of a fire, it has been claimed. When Robert Burn opens the back door of his one-bedroom ground-floor council flat in Claudius Court, on the Lawe Top, South Shields, he is confronted by a virtual forest stretching several feet. A narrow access path along the windows at the flats complex is covered by a swathe of deep brambles, vegetation and prickly vines – blocking any exit for residents. Mr Burn has demanded an access is cleared to ensure residents – one of whom is 92 – are not trapped in their homes if a blaze breaks out. Today, a spokesman for South Tyneside Council said the authority accepted there was a problem – and promised action. and I was cut to shreds trying to make my way down. “It’s full of brambles and nettles which are all intertwined. It’s very, very dangerous.
“I can’t get a window cleaner to clean the back windows. When the council came to do some painting they said scaffolding was too dangerous to put up – they used a cherry picker instead. “The whole lot should be ripped up. What are we going to do if there is a fire? We have no access out. If we came outside, we would fry.
It's Bad Cop, Worse Cop in 'Police Power: Police Abuses in New York City' - A window-washer and his wife were having drinks at a Harlem bar. When they quaffed their fill, she went out to get a cab: an average evening ending as average evenings do. But on the street, according to one account of the incident, “a policeman, mistaking her flashy clothes for those of a prostitute, ordered her to move on. A vituperative argument ensued, and the wife was knocked down with a punch in the eye. When the husband ran out of the bar with a friend to protest, he was also knocked down.” She got an assault charge; he, disorderly conduct.
This cop-citizen interaction might sound familiar to a New Yorker or, for that matter, the resident of any large American city — Detroit, Albuquerque, New Orleans — where police brutality has recently risen to the fore of public debate. The above incident isn’t new, however. It is recounted by Paul G. Chevigny in his 1969 book, Police Power: Police Abuses in New York City. Based on a study of police brutality for the New York Civil Liberties Union, the book is utterly unlike the dreary tomes of public policy one is likely to encounter today. Yet Police Power remains as relevant as many newer books on the subject.
Dorchester man self-publishes book about dog's role in healing journey from drugs and prison. Jim Adduci's latest self-published book is told from the perspective of his dog Muffin. The hope that he would reunite with his dog after he was imprisoned helped him through dark times and led him on a clean path. While some may dream of getting out of prison to spend time with their family and friends, Jim Adduci, 66, originally from Bowdoin Street in Dorchester, simply couldn’t wait to see his dog Muffin again.
His third self-published book, “Muffin,” told in the voice of his beloved dog, chronicles Muffin’s life and death with his “dad” Jim and concludes with a narration from Adduci which explains his love for his dog and the guilt he felt for abandoning Muffin when he went to prison on a drug charge. “I screwed up and I went to prison for three years because of my stupid mistakes. I broke my dog’s heart,” he said.
Adduci’s desire to see Muffin again after prison and get the dog back from his ex-girlfriend no matter what stood in his way helped Adduci stay clean and pursue a path as a window cleaning operator in Naples, Florida. With encouragement, Adduci turned his prison writings into self-published books. “I have two good reviews on Amazon,” he said. Adduci now drives people between airports and hotels for a local transportation company.
'Something big's coming,' muse the window cleaners. Graham Swift.
England & Other Stories by Graham Swift – all human life is here: Graham Swift is a watcher, a listener, the recorder of our days. "People are life," one of his characters suggests, but life is also the social structures that provide context for the living of it. The short stories in his third collection often focus, therefore, on occasions. Weddings and divorces, job interviews and funerals, all the puzzled collisions with the bureaucratic infrastructure, all the usual points of connection between the individual and the culture: if they aren't providing a direct context, they're never very far in the background.
Swift keeps an ear out for the classic English interior monologue. "Going Up in the World" gives us the musings of Charlie the window cleaner. "Something big's coming," Charlie's friend Don tells him, as they look out across the towering financial centres that have given London window cleaners a good living since the 80s, "something big and bad." While the protagonist of "Half a Loaf" recalls, "My mother used to say, 'All good things come to an end'," then muses: "Perhaps all mothers say it. As if the harm she foresaw for me was the tragedy of good stuff not being constantly on tap." What the osteopath and the window cleaner have in common is yearning, not so much for what they've lost but for what their anxieties tell them they're about to lose.
Lawsuit filed after new Tribeca building is found with flawed windows that must be replaced for $10 million - The shiny new One York on York St. has a flaw: the insulated windows cloud up and have to be replaced at a cost of more than $10 million. As a result, the sponsors of the building are suing the general contractor, Lend Lease Construction, and three companies that manufactured or installed the insulated glass walls.
A posh new building in Tribeca has a skin problem: Its insulated windows are clouding up and have to be replaced at a cost of more than $10 million. The sponsor of One York on York St. and the condo board are suing the general contractor, Lend Lease Construction, and three companies that manufactured or installed the floor-to-ceiling insulated glass walls. In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, the plaintiffs say unit owners started complaining immediately about streaking and rust-like discoloration on window seals. Contractors discovered that the installers had used unauthorized gaskets and the wrong combination of glazing and sealant materials.
A window washer cleans off the lettering at Morgan Stanley headquarters, in New York. Morgan Stanley has agreed to pay $275 million to settle a case alleging that Morgan Stanley misled investors about risky mortgage bonds it sold prior to the 2008 financial crisis. Morgan Stanley neither admitted nor denied the allegations. The $275 million Morgan Stanley is paying includes a $96.4 million penalty and $160.6 million in restitution of profits from sales of the bonds, plus about $18 million in interest. It will be returned to investors in the deals who were harmed, the SEC said.
5 on 3: Window Genie - Blair Littlefield
Business name: Window Genie of Flower Mound
Business address: 2225 Ellis Drive, Flower Mound
Year opened: July 2014
Employee name: Blair Littlefield
Position at the company: Owner
Total number of employees: 2
Describe what the company does: Window Genie is a home service provider specializing in window cleaning, window tinting, pressure washing, gutter clean out, and concrete cleaning and sealing.
What does your business offer that is unique compared to similar businesses? Our techs wear uniforms and have a photo ID. They have had background checks performed to ensure we hire the best people we can. Our specialty is the superior service level we provide and the highest quality employees we send into our customers’ homes.
What is the most important part of your job on a daily basis? Scheduling jobs to ensure on time arrival and completion. Also performing estimates, which gives me the opportunity to personally meet most of our customers.
What are your keys to success? Do the job right the first time, every time.
What surprises you most about your job? There is a lot more to window cleaning than I thought.
Tell us something most people wouldn't know about your company. Window Genie is a very community minded company. They encourage their franchise owners to get involved and provide assistance to help them. Their “Window for Wishes” program here.
Prior to purchasing a Window Genie franchise, Blair Littlefield spent 13 years working for a car dealer in the greater Dallas area before joining the corporate staff of an automotive accessory company in Chicago for 21 years. After the company he worked for took a major hit during the recession, Littlefield began thinking about his next move. He said, “Not many people can say they love their jobs, and I loved mine for over 20 years; I was happy to go into work every day. When the recession hit, a lot of changes were made and I began feeling differently so I quit and moved home.” For Littlefield, home has always been Flower Mound, where his family lives. “I’m glad I moved home when I did because my father was in poor health and I was able to spend the last 8 or so months of his life in Texas with him before he passed. He had always admired people with the guts and drive to open their own business, so with the support of my family I began researching small business and franchise options in the greater Dallas area.”
Through his research, Littlefield connected with Phil and Joan Cansler, Regional Developers with Window Genie. “The Canslers were incredible and made the process so easy on me. Although I was researching several franchises at once, something kept me coming back to Window Genie,” Littlefield said. “I met the corporate support staff via Skype and it just felt right; this was a team I could trust and feel good working with. I got in touch with existing Window Genie franchise owners who gave me hours of their time to answer my questions and paint a picture of what the life of a franchise owner with Window Genie looked like. All these guys were incredibly helpful and honest about their ups and downs, but all were happy and said they would do it again.”
Ultimately Littlefield chose Window Genie because it most closely met his needs based on interests, strengths, weaknesses and goals. “I didn’t want a storefront or a lot of inventory to deal with and Window Genie is a business you can run from your home or a small office. I loved the service aspect of Window Genie; I get to interact with and serve my community every day. I’ll continue building relationships with customers who will keep having us back to perform different services; you can’t beat that,” he said. “This wasn’t a quick decision, but I think I made the right one. Working for myself and being my own boss sounds better and better each time I say it. I can’t wait to open for business, tackle these challenges and see what I’m made of.”
Men In Kilts Launches in the Okanagan Valley: Men In Kilts Kelowna opens for business Friday August 15th, 2014 and will be the eleventh location to open since franchising began in 2010 and the third in the province of BC. The franchise will service the communities of Kelowna, Westbank, Vernon, Penticton, Osoyoos, Summerland, Grand Forks and Oliver and offer Window Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Siding Cleaning, Pressure Washing and Snow Removal services to residential and commercial customers.
Franchise Owners Gareth Rider and Stacey Steele transitioned into the window cleaning business after spotting their very first tartan truck. Gareth says, "Throughout our research into franchises, Men In Kilts kept showing up in our searches. We read a lot of reviews about the franchising opportunities in various publications across North America. We started to see their trucks driving around town all the time and one day while we were on site painting a client's house, I looked out the window and saw Men In Kilts next door cleaning out the gutters - the decision was made!"
Gareth and Stacey, now kilted technicians themselves, used to run their own painting company in Calgary, AB, but wanted a change - which included a move to BC - and starting a Men In Kilts franchise allowed them to do that.
The Future of Change: The 2014 7x24 Exchange of Atlanta and the Carolinas will be held in Charleston, SC on August 14th and futurist Jack Uldrich is keynoting the event. The 7x24 Exchange is hailed as the "the end to end reliability forum", and their mission is to "promote better understanding of the design, implementation and management issues involved in achieving high levels of uninterrupted infrastructure support for data centers." To that end, bestselling author and trend expert Jack Uldrich will be addressing future trends and holding a panel discussion after his presentation.
As a futurist, Uldrich is currently focusing on nanotechnology and the surprising ways it's climbing into peoples' lives. Uldrich says, "In ways small and big, nanotechnology, the science of the small-is well positioned to have an outsized impact on the world around us. If you need further proof, look around. Nanotechnology is already inside your smartphone and might soon be inside your body battling cancer. Who knows, it may even be outside your window at this very moment in the form of a gecko-like human scaling a self-cleaning, nano-enhanced solar window." Uldrich is an innovative and inspirational speaker on topics such as future trends, emerging technologies, innovation, change management and leadership, giving his audience members a more vivid perspective of tomorrow.
Cleaning every nook and cranny: John Smith of New Sewickley, owner of Smith's Window Cleaning, is tucked under an awning at the 1810 Tavern in Bridgewater as he cleans a window.
Text messaging/SMS isn’t new. Nor is it reserved for just smartphone owners; any mobile - smart or otherwise - can send and receive them but, it’s still a great mobile service that can create real business benefit. You’ve probably experienced a text from your dentist reminding you of an appointment or check-up, or your car dealer suggesting it’s time for your car to be serviced or have its MOT. Have you thought how this could be applied to your business? Restaurants sending reservation reminders, accountants or financial advisors sending tax reminders, or window cleaners reminding their customers to leave a cheque. Platforms such as Global Messaging or Text Local take some of the manual burden out of sending the messages by automating the process and are straightforward to set up.
Glass Door Knob Starts a House Fire: One of the most benign, mundane objects of all time — a doorknob — is being blamed for causing a fire that destroyed part of a bedroom in a home in London.
Because the glass knob was in direct sunlight, it refracted rays onto a nearby robe, which then caught fire, the London Fire Brigade explained in a release. The house was empty at the time and no one was injured, but the room did withstand considerable damage.
Luckily, builders working next door eventually heard the fire alarm before the blaze could spread to the rest of the house. They alerted authorities, who identified the crystal doorknob as the catalyst. “The focal length from the window was just the right distance and it became the same principle as when you try to set fire to paper with a magnifying glass when you are a child,” Charlie Pugsley, of the London Fire Brigade’s investigations unit, told The Telegraph.
An Oestopath from Newmarket braved the weekend’s bad weather to raise cash for two important local charities. Bruce Smart, from Derby Cottage Clinic in Newmarket, took on the RideLondon on Saturday, cycling 100 miles through Surrey, before finishing on The Mall in London. Bruce took on the challenge to raise funds for Racing Welfare and the Injured Jockey Fund, completing the route with seven others in memory of his friend Jock. Bruce said: “My ex window cleaner was a lovely boy called Jock who passed away. He had a previous career in horseracing and his last claim to fame was doing the Racing Welfare calendar. “ He came in before he died and asked me to do it for him.”
Kirwan Heights Fire Department in need of volunteers: Rescue captain Mike Quinlan was 14 when he first volunteered to be a firefighter. Nineteen years later, he still spends hours each week training and donating his time to the Kirwan Heights Fire Department. Quinlan, 33, recalled his journey on Aug. 4, while overseeing his fellow firefighters during a night of rope-rescue training at an abandoned house near the Interstate 79 interchange on Washington Pike. “A couple of friends were firefighters and I started hanging out there and thought, ‘This is cool.' And I've been there ever since.”
But members say the number of volunteers are dwindling, and they could use some help. “Volunteers are hard to come by. It's harder nowadays because a lot of people work two jobs and it's just hard to find volunteers. We operate completely on volunteers. Everyone's in the same struggle we are,” Deputy Chief Earle Allender said. During the night's training exercises, firefighters set up a pulley system consisting of ropes connected to rescue vehicles so they could practice walking down the side of the house, which was donated to the department two months ago, and perform “raise and haul” exercises. Quinlan said the training simulates raising or lowering someone in need of help, such as a window washer who is stuck on the side of a building. “It's the life of a volunteer. Donate your time. Not a lot of people want to do it anymore, either. There's a lot of work and a lot of training.”
A Pittsboro neighborhood band turns a suspicious eye toward the town's future: It's 8:30 p.m. on a Monday night, and Brinson sits upstairs with his two sons—Buck, 6, and Levon, 3—reading bedtime stories. Downstairs, Sara tends to their newborn daughter, Sorrel, not yet 1 and already asleep. At last, Brinson steps outside, holding two electric guitars and a mixed six-pack of local brews. He heads just two blocks south, parks across from Pittsboro's landmark courthouse and ambles up a flight of stairs to his new band's antique practice space. "This is the old hotel," Brinson explains, tuning his Gibson hollowbody guitar as the other three members of The Outboards trickle in.
The Outboards' fascination with Pittsboro history owes to a collective loyalty to the Chatham County town. They are a neighborhood band. But it's not all gentle. "Rock Chatham Park," the band's most telling tune, takes aim at the proposed development and research park that could dramatically increase Pittsboro's population during the next three decades. Though downtown Pittsboro typically shuts down by early evening, discussions and votes about Chatham Park have packed the nearby courthouse until midnight. The Outboards practiced the night of one such vote. Brinson wanted to open the windows while they played, but they'd been painted shut. "We missed our big U2 moment," Boyer quips.
The song subject may seem topical from the outside—Pittsboro has been in the news because of Chatham Park—but it's more personal than political for these four. They all moved to Pittsboro for its easy pace. The community lacked the competitiveness they'd observed elsewhere—a progressive Mayberry, where young families moved for low housing prices and a small-town rapport. There's a soda shop, and the cops are friendly even when they break up backyard band practices. Haugen says local crime is cute, like the neighborhood teen with the habit of swiping ashtray change from unlocked cars. As Brinson sings in "Rock Chatham Park," "I live here because I'm a believer/that one can have enough."
His life is evidence for that mantra. He owns the window-washing business Window Wizard and keeps four employees, two late-model work vans and a pickup truck. He is his own boss. His lifestyle is comfortable without excess, his family's modest, two-story home sitting on an old residential street and overrun with cats, dogs and kids.
Bourne Abbey pupils record song for Royal British Legion project: Schoolchildren have recorded a song to raise funds for the Royal British Legion and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War. Steven Giullari, of Rippingale, has put together a song and accompanying music video called When The Rain Falls and children in the choir at Bourne Abbey Primary School were delighted to lend a hand with the project. Steve also lent his own voice to the song. Steven, a window cleaner, said: “It was a fantastic day and the children worked very hard for a really good sound. I would like to use this opportunity to thank each and every one of them for their hard work, especially since they gave up their golden time for the cause.
A window cleaner at an office building in Shenyang, Liaoning province. The services sector has been a bright spot in the Chinese conomy for a while. Growth in China's services sector slipped to a six-month low in July as new orders rose at their weakest rate in at least a year, data indicated, taking some of the shine off an industry that has been a bright spot in the Chinese economy this year.
Prankster paints his best mate's house in Mr Blobby colours while he is away on holiday: Mr Ansett, who spent around £150 on the joke, said: 'I was doing a job for Pete so I put all the scaffolding up around his house and then I see he’s put his initials all over it. 'He thought it would be funny, so I thought, right. 'I waited for him to go on holiday and then I spent a good couple of hours painting his house pink and spray painting on the yellow dots. 'His housemate was in the house at the time - which I didn't know - but he just thought it was some window cleaners. 'He’s alright about it, it’s just a laugh and a good bit of fun. 'If he gets me back, I’ve got something up my sleeve.' Mr Blobby first appeared on Noel Edmonds’ Saturday night hit Noel’s House Party in 1993 and had a Christmas number one before disappearing from the spotlight in 1999.
(F)ART - Istanbul-based artist Ali Miharbi, known for the robotic structures he builds, recently took part in an artist-in-residence program at quartier21 in Vienna, and is currently showcasing a new installation he created in the Museums Quartier complex. Before he arrived at the Museums Quartier and saw the space, he had an initial project idea, but after seeing the unconventional space, he wanted to create a completely new installation specifically for that venue. “In Schauraum, viewers see the exhibition through glass windows, either when they are entering MuseumsQuartier through one of its gates or when they pass through the corridor next to that entrance. I wanted to play with the way people experience the artworks there, considering the protective, transparent layer between the viewer and the work,” he says, explaining his recent installation “The Stroke.” So I created ‘Stroke,’ consisting of large linear motors equipped with different objects such as a cleaning brush, a plunger, a window squeegee and a garden rake, attached to their tips.
David Booth's story is one of rags to riches, from a poor upbringing to becoming one of the city's biggest employers. And the home he shares with wife Ann has seen a transformation, too, from cowshed to rural retreat. When David Booth took the bold step of le