SNAPSHOTS

AS I TYPE THIS, AT LEAST HALF OF THE WORLD HAS ALREADY WELCOMED THE NEW YEAR OF 2009. CHRISTMAS ISLAND WAS 1ST, FOLLOWED BY NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA. THIS PICTURE SHOWS THE NEW YEARS FIREWORKS OVER THE SYDNEY HARBOR BRIDGE.

LUXE MEN/ CANDID SHOTS (#11)

5 SHOTS OF AMATEUR MEN FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

MUSIC/ANTONY & KYLIE RETURN: There are 2 new highly anticipated album releases scheduled for the first part of January in the UK, and both come highly recommended. Mercury Prize winning Antony and the Johnsons return on January 19 with "The Crying Light". Highlighted by the distinctive voice of Antony, this set has 10 all new tracks. On this album, the arrangements are lusher, more expressive and generally just far superior to anything that has accompanied his voice before making for his most mesmerising work to date. This is avant garde pop music of the highest order right up there with Kate Bush and Bjork. Just 2 weeks prior to the Antony release, Kylie Minogue releases the 2 disc "Boombox" on January 5. This collection of 31 remixes, charts the legendary singer's classic hits, and features input from the likes of Chemical Brothers, Sebastian Leger, Mylo and many more. It also includes the famous bootleg of "Can't Get Blue Monday Out Of My Head" which Kylie performed at the 2002Brit Awards.

EDITORS NOTE: DUE TO THE HOLIDAYS, THE CHIKANE TOP 20 SINGLES, ALBUMS, AND BOOKS CHARTS, WILL BE FROZEN AND NOT PUBLISHED THIS WEEK. ALL 3 CHARTS WILL RETURN NEXT WEDNESDAY JANUARY 7.

AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

TRANSFORMATION BEGINS: Steps toward the creation of the world’s largest Airline are underway at Southern California Logistics Airport, as the 1st NORTHWEST AIRLINES planes exchange their signature red tails for DELTA AIRLINES blue. The 2 Airlines officially merged at the end of October, with Delta’s buyout of Northwest Airlines taking place gradually over the next year or two. As a 1st step to phase out the Northwest brand, 16 red-tailed Boeing 747s will be repainted, and the 1st 2 transitions have already taken place in a hangar at SCLA. The 1st 747 was immediately back in service after its facelift, making its inaugural flight from Detroit to Tokyo the week of December 14. Northwest’s 2nd 747 is currently being repainted at SCLA, Black said. Each tranformation takes about 12 days and 146 gallons of paint. Meanwhile, officials say it’s business as usual for customers of the 2 Airlines. Delta and Northwest will continue to operate their own branded aircraft until the integration process is complete.
INCIDENTS
SKYSERVICE FLIGHT 828: The Boeing 757 was on Scheduled International Service from Bridgetown, Barbados, to Toronto, Canada, when it had to divert inflight, due to an unruly passenger, yesterday, December 30. The crew of Flight 828, with 201 passengers and 8 crew members onboard, decided to divert to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, after a male passenger knocked a Flight Attendant off her feet and attempted to open the aircraft's door. The passenger was overpowered by 5 or 6 fellow passengers and cabin crew and was restrained. Upon arrival in Punta Cana, the man was arrested. Police later said that he was intoxicated and was suffering from claustrophobia. The Dominican CAA and the FAA reported, that cockpit indications showed the door open after the incident forcing the flight crew to divert.
KUWAIT AIRWAYS FLIGHT 542: The A300 was on Scheduled International Service from Cairo, Egypt, to Kuwait City, Kuwait, when it had to make an emergency return to Cairo, yesterday, December 30. Flight 542, with 227 passengers and crew onboard, declared the emergency after the left hand engine failed moments after takeoff. The A300 landed without incident back in Cairo about an hour after its initial departure. No one was injured and the aircraft has been removed from services. Other sources from Cairo reported that it was the right hand engine that had caught fire after takeoff. The same sources said that Flight 542 had been delayed 1 hour from its original takeoff time due to problems with the right hand engine. A passenger reported that the right hand engine exploded jolting the airplane about 20 seconds after takeoff. Another explosion followed again jolting the aircraft, then a 3rd and final explosion shook the A300 hard. The aircraft started losing altitude, fellow passengers in the back of the airplane started screaming, that there was fire out of the engine. The passenger could see smoke and flames coming out of the engine himself, too. The airplane was brought under control and the crew performing a safe landing about 30 minutes after the engine explosion. Both Egyptian Aviation Officials and Kuwait Airways are investigating the incident.
AIR CANADA JAZZ FLIGHT 7685: The Dash 8-100 was on Scheduled International Service from Boston, Massachusetts, to Montreal, Canada, when it had to make an emergency return to Boston, on Monday, December 29. Flight 7685, with 23 passengers and crew onboard, declared an emergency and returned to Boston after the left hand engine began to over torque shortly after departure. The Dash landed back in Boston without incident or injury. AC is investigating the incident.
RAAF MILITARY FLIGHT: The Boeing C17 Globemaster was on a Military Flight out of Learmonth, Australia, when it had to make an emergency return to Learmonth, on Monday, December 29. The C17 departed Learmonth with 70 passengers and crew onboard. About 45 minutes after departure the crew declared PAN PAN PAN after fumes and fuel began to enter the passenger cabin. The aircraft returned to Learmonth without incident or injury. The C17 has been removed from service for further inspection and repairs. The Royal Australian Air Force has not commented on the incident.
ETIHAD AIRWAYS FLIGHT 218: The A320 was on Scheduled International Service from Abu Dhabi, UAE, to New Delhi, India, when a passenger was seriously injured after arrival in New Delhi, on Thursday, December 25. Flight 218 had arrived at the gate in Delhi and passengers were disembarking via a jetbridge, when an 8 year old boy fell through a gap of the jetbridge about 4 meters down onto the tarmac. An ramp employee tried to catch the boy. Although he couldn't actually catch the boy, his arms reduced the force of impact. The employee suffered minor hand injuries. The boy was taken to hospital with serious injuries and is currently in stable condition. The parents of the boy and Etihad differ on their opinions on whether staff was present or not at the time of passengers disembarking. Both Indian Aviation Officials and Etihad are investigating the incident.
FEDEX FLIGHT 138: The A300 was on Scheduled Cargo Service from Memphis, Tennessee, to Calgary, Canada, when it had to make an emergency landing in Calgary, on Wednesday, December 24. Flight 138 executed a missed approach on its 1st attempt to land at Calgary due to problems with the flaps. About 9 minutes later the crew declared an emergency. The A300 landed without incident about 10 minutes after declaring an emergency. The A300 has been out of service since the incident undergoing inspection. The Canadian Transportation Safety Board reported yesterday that the aircraft performed a flapless landing. The incident is under investigation, both by Canadian Officials and FedEx.

SNAPSHOTS

THE NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE IS CAPTURED IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN LAST EVENING.

LUXE MEN

LUXE MEN

THE BEST/ TOP 20 SINGLES OF 2008

CHIKANE TOP 20 SINGLES 2008:

1. SEX ON FIRE--KINGS OF LEON

2. DADDY'S GONE--GLASVEGAS

3. BLEEDING LOVE--LEONA LEWIS

4. NO ONE--ALICIA KEYS

5. CRACK THE SHUTTERS--SNOW PATROL

6. TE QUEIRO--FLEX

7. LOVE IS A LOSING GAME--AMY WINESHOUSE

8. WARWICK AVENUE--DUFFY

9. DON'T STOP THE MUSIC--RIHANNA

10. RUN--LEONA LEWIS

11. CLOSER--NE YO

12. VIVA LA VIDA--COLDPLAY

13. SO SOLL ES BLEIBEN--ICH & ICH

14. BLACK AND GOLD--SAM SPARRO

15. ELECTRIC FEEL--MGMT

16. LOVE LOCKDOWN--KANYE WEST

17. HUMAN--THE KILLERS

18. DON'T STOP BELIEVIN--GEORGE LAMOND

19. AMERICAN BOY--ESTELLE w/ KANYE WEST

20. CHASING PAVEMENTS--ADELE

THE BEST/ TOP 20 ALBUMS 2008

CHIKANE TOP 20 ALBUMS 2008:

1. A HUNDRED MILLION SUNS--SNOW PATROL

2. ONLY BY THE NIGHT--KINGS OF LEON

3. GLASVEGAS--GLASVEGAS

4. SPIRIT--LEONA LEWIS

5. THE STEADY RHYTHM--IVRI LIDER

6. GOOD GIRL GONE BAD--RIHANNA

7. GOLD--ABBA

8. NICHT VON DIESER WELT--XAVIER NAIDOO

9. EVERYTHING IS BORROWED--THE STREETS

10. ORACULAR SPECTACULAR--MGMT

11. ROCKFERRY--DUFFY

12. METAMORFOZ--TARKAN

13. WETTSINGEN--SOHNE MANNHEIMS & XAVIER NAIDOO

14. SOMEWHERE--EVA CASSIDY

15. LA VOIX D'UN ANGE--GREGORY LEMARCHAL

16. VIVA LA VIDA--COLDPLAY

17. AMAN IMAN:WATER IS LIFE--TINARIWEN

18. VAMPIRE WEEKEND--VAMPIRE WEEKEND

19. SAM SPARRO--SAM SPARRO

20. PERFECT SYMMETRY--KEANE

THE BEST/ TOP 10 FILMS 2008

CHIKANE TOP 10 FILMS OF 2008:

1. MILK

2. RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

3. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

4. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

5. DOUBT

6. TROUBLE THE WATER

7. CLOVERFIELD

8. THE DUCHESS

9. HAPPY GO LUCKY

10. MAMMA MIA!

THE BEST/ TOP 10 TV PROGRAMS 2008

CHIKANE TOP 10 TV PROGRAMS 2008:

1. LOST (ABC)

2. 102 MINUTES THAT CHANGED AMERICA (History)

3. TORCHWOOD (BBC America)

4. CSI (CBS)

5. 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION (major networks)

6. 2008 SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES:BEIJING (NBC)

7. SURVIVOR (CBS)

8. THE CLOSER (TNT)

9. MAD MEN (AMC)

10. THE AMAZING RACE (CBS)

THE BEST/ TOP 20 BOOKS OF 2008

CHIKANE TOP 20 BOOKS FOR 2008:

1. INTO THE DARKNESS:7/7--PETER ZIMONJIC

NonFiction/A survivor of the 7/7 bombings in London shares his story.

2. DEWEY--VICKI MYRON

NonFiction/The Story of the library cat that touched the world.

3. TOUCHING HISTORY--LYNN SPENCER

NonFiction/The story of what went on with ATC during 9/11.

4. FINAL SALUTE--JIM SHEELER

NonFiction/Soldiers who notify families of casualties share their stories.

5. JUMBO--PAUL CHAMBERS

NonFiction/The story of Jumbo, the world famous circus elephant.

6. FOR THE THRILL OF IT--SIMON BAATZ

NonFiction/The story of the Leopold & Loeb murders.

7. MY GUY BARBARO--EDGAR PRADO

NonFiction/The story of the late great horse by his jockey.

8. PAWPRINTS OF KATRINA--CATHY SCOTT

NonFiction/Detailing the rescue of pets left behind during Hurricane Katrina.

9. ALL THE COLOURS OF DARKNESS--PETER ROBINSON

Fiction/Inspector Banks investigating the deaths of 2 gay men.

10. CHILD 44--TOM ROB SMITH

Fiction/A serial killer at work in Cold War Russia.

11. THE DARK SIDE--JANE MYER

NonFiction/The truth behind the Bush team's search for terrorists.

12. THE SUSPICIONS OF MR WHICHER--KATE SUMMERSCALE

NonFiction/A 19th century murder in the UK is examined.

13. THE LIKENESS--TANA FRENCH

Fiction/A detective goes undercover as the victim to discover a murderer.

14. CARELESS IN RED--ELIZABETH GEORGE

Fiction/A grieving Inspector Lynley investigates murder in Northern England.

15. THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT--BARBARA VINE

Fiction/A suprise goes horribly wrong in this tale by Ruth Rendell.

16. 2666--ROBERTO BOLANO

Fiction/3 lives intersect in a town where hundreds of murders have taken place.

17. THE PRIVATE PATIENT--P.D. JAMES

Fiction/Dagliesh and team investigate murder at a private clinic.

18. COLD HAND--JOHN HARVEY

Fiction/The return of DI Charles Resnick.

19. WESLEY THE OWL--STACEY O'BRIEN

NonFiction/The story of a barn owl raised from birth at home.

20. TRAFFIC--TOM VANDERBILT

NonFiction/A study on why we drive the way we do.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

TV/USPS HONORS TV SHOWS: Lucy and Ethel lose their struggle with a chocolate assembly line. Joe Friday demands "just the facts" with a penetrating gaze. A secret word brings Groucho a visit from a duck. People who grew up as television came of age will delight in a 20-stamp set included in the Postal Service's plans for 2009 recalling early memories of the medium. The Early TV Memories stamp set is scheduled for release August 11 in Los Angeles. One recalls the quiz show "You Bet Your Life," on which the unflappable Groucho Marx awarded prizes to contestants who answered questions. If they said a secret word, a toy duck dropped down with a cash reward. In a memorable scene from "I Love Lucy," Lucille Ball and sidekick Ethel Mertz work at an assembly line that speeds up and they can't wrap the candy quickly enough, causing panic. In the stamp commemorating the cop show "Dragnet," star Jack Webb as detective Joe Friday gives his "just the facts, ma'am," stare, while on another stamp sweetheart singer Dinah Shore throws the audience a kiss. Other shows featured are "Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet," ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents," ''Ed Sullivan Show," ''George Burns & Gracie Allen Show," ''Hopalong Cassidy," ''The Honeymooners," ''Howdy Doody," ''Kukla, Fran and Ollie," ''Lassie," ''The Lone Ranger," ''Perry Mason," ''Phil Silvers Show," ''Red Skelton," ''Texaco Star Theater," ''Tonight Show" and "Twilight Zone."
MUSIC/UK SALES WINNERS NAMED: Duffy and Alexandra Burke were the UK's top-selling musicians of the year, according to official sales figures. X Factor winner Burke sold 888,000 copies of her version of "Hallelujah" in the last 2 weeks of the year to take the year's biggest-selling single. Duffy's debut album "Rockferry" held off a late challenge from Take That to come top of the year-end chart, with 1.685 million copies sold. Kings of Leon, Leona Lewis and Coldplay all sold over a million albums in 2008. Official Charts Company (OCC) data shows the X Factor finalists' version of "Hero" was the year's second biggest-selling single, shifting 751,000 copies. Duffy's "Mercy" sold 536,000 copies, the only other single to sell over half a million. Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" was the 4th biggest-seller, followed by Nickelback's "Rockstar". Other top-selling singles included Estelle and Kanye West's "American Boy," Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire," Basshunter's "Now You're Gone" and Madonna and Justin Timberlake's collaboration "4 Minutes". Sam Sparro's "Black & Gold" rounded off the year's top 10 singles. Rihanna, Killers, Girls Aloud, Pink and Scouting For Girls all feature in the top 10 albums of 2008. The "Mamma Mia" soundtrack sold 1.007 million copies to be named the year's top compilation.
MUSIC/ELBOW IS CRITICS PICK: Elbow's Mercury Prize-winning album "The Seldom Seen Kid" is UK music critics' album of the year, a survey says. The "poll of polls", conducted by retail chain HMV, took into account votes from media critics as well as the firm's staff and online customers. "The Seldom Seen Kid" was nominated by 18 out of the 35 outlets polled, with Portishead's "Third" coming 2nd on 17. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Dig, Lazarus, Dig" came 3rd, followed by Fleet Foxes and Vampire Weekend. Their self-titled debuts came 4th and 5th respectively. TV on the Radio and MGMT also featured in the top 10, as did Bon Iver, Glasvegas and Hot Chip. The year's biggest-selling album, Duffy's "Rockferry," came 28th in the list.
FILM/TITLES ADDED TO REGISTRY: "The Terminator" is 1 of 25 films being added to the US National Film Registry. The move will preserve the films, which include home movies and documentaries from the 1920s, and protect them from deterioration. Other films on the list include the original 1933 version of "The Invisible Man" and John Boorman's 1972 thriller "Deliverance," starring Burt Reynolds. The films are selected annually based on cultural or historical significance. The registry, established by the Library of Congress nearly 20 years ago, works with film studios that own the rights to the selected films to ensure original copies are kept safe. Among the oldest films to join the list this year are the ground-breaking 1929 film "Hallelujah," featuring an all-black cast, and 1910's "White Fawn's Devotion" directed by James Young Deer, the first documented American Indian movie director.
THEATRE/"PHANTOM" SEQUEL MOVES AHEAD: Andrew Lloyd Webber has confirmed that "the button has been pushed" on "Phantom: Love Never Dies" for it to now proceed into production. As reported in UK media, "Phantom: Love Never Dies" will make its premiere at the end of 2009. It is Lloyd Webber's current plan to open the new musical simultaneously in three territories. Lloyd Webber said, "I don't think you could do this if it wasn't the sequel to "Phantom". We've been into the feasibility of rehearsing 3 companies at once and opening very fast in the 3 territories. The one which really interests me would be China. I think to open "Love Never Dies" in Shanghai would be an enormous thing." None of the 3 cities planned for the premiere have yet to be confirmed.

AVIATION/ UPDATE OUT ON TACA 390 CRASH

The Hondurian Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil (DGAC) released an update on the crash of TACA AIRLINES Flight 390 on May 30 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The A320 was on Scheduled International Service from San Salvador, El Salvador, to Tegucigalpa, when it ran off the wet runway upon landing in Tegucigalpa. The A320 went off the runway, down an embankment, and onto a roadway. Of those onboard, 2 of the 118 passengers and 1 of the 6 crew members, were killed in the crash. An additional 2 people in cars on the roadway were also killed. There were multiple minor to critical injuries on the survivors. The A320 was destroyed in the accident. The DGAC report said that the preliminary findings so far neither point towards the aircraft or the crew being at fault. The A320 was said to be technically sound. There is no support for any theories of human error in the crash as well, the chief deputy said. It did not speculate on weather condtions. At the time of the accident, the runway was wet from rains coming from nearby Tropical Storm Alma. The final report is to be expected in 6 months.

AVIATION/ NTSB REPORTS ON MIDWEST 490

The NTSB has just released its final report into an incident involving MIDWEST AIRLINES Flight 490, on May 12, 2005. Flight 490 was on Scheduled Domestic Boeing 717 Service from Kansas City, Missouri, to Washington Dulles, with 76 passengers and 4 crew members onboard, when the incident took place. The 717 experienced a series of wild pitch oscillations while climbing through 19000 feet. The indicated airspeed subsequently fluctuated between between 290 and 552 knots, the altitude between 10600 and 23300 feet. The crew managed to regain control after several oscillations and diverted to Kirksville, Missouri, where the aircraft landed without incident. No one onboard was injured in the incident. The NTSB, in its report, suggests that the wild pitch oscillations were the result of a lightning strike causing the air data (pitot) heat system switch to fail resulting in most of the pitots icing up and thus producing unreliable air speed data. The Captain was Pilot flying. A strong thunderstorm front was just passing Kansas City as the airplane was scheduled to depart. The Captain decided to delay departure until the weather had passed to the E. Another flight gave a "ride report" before the Captain elected to depart, the weather system now being 25nm E of the Airport. After takeoff the 717 turned onto a heading of 010 degrees taking the aircraft away from the weather system. The airborne weather radar showed only green areas ahead of the aircraft despite adjusting radar pitch and tilt. The 717 was steered by the autopilot, the vertical profile being controlled by the flight management system. The 717 entered IMC conditions, but no turbulence was observed during the entire departure. The captain turned to heading 060, the flight was cleared to climb to 27000 feet and switch frequencies. Ground based weather radar information showed the airplane's location within a large area of strong echos indicating thunderstorms and rain up to 42000 feet. As the 717 climbed through 19000 feet, the master caution light and the config cue switch illuminated, the EICAS secondary screen changed from the engine display to the configuration display. 12 seconds later the autopilot disconnected. Many parameters associated with various flight systems and modes recorded by the flight data recorder toggled around that time. The captain noticed a "RUDDER LIM FAIL" message displayed on the secondary EICAS screen. Just as he wanted the First Officer to retrieve the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) to work the according procedures, the 717 began to pitch down. The First Officer recalled, that the pitch angle reached more than 20 degrees nose down. The Captain recalled, that he heard the autopilot disconnect wailer. The Captain was still the Pilot flying, but the First Officer began to assist at the controls. The 717 settled in a steep dive, that the First Officer felt was almost beyond recovery. The aircraft did not respond to control inputs, the controls felt very heavy. The Captain reported, that there was little response to the control inputs and all of the sudden a lot of response, the first officer recalled a loss of altitude of at least 5000 feet. The 717 then pitched sharply up despite both crew now pushing the yoke to the most forward position in order to keep the nose in a normal attitude. The airspeed decreased, and the First Officer advanced throttle levers. Although the Captain managed to keep wings level, he was unable to regain altitude control. The aircraft pitched down again and entered another dive. The First Officer now took control over ("I have the airplane" followed by the Captain's "okay"). The First Officer managed to regain control of the 717. The Captain continued to manage the flight controls until he began to communicate with ATC, at which point he relinquished controls to the First Officer without a "formal" transition of controls. The First Officer said later, that the airspeed went below stall speeds and above overspeed during the recovery. The flight data recorder showed airspeeds between 52 and 460 KIAS. The various airspeed indications (primary Captain's airspeed, standby airspeed indication) began to disagree. Following the recovery of the airplane the crew noticed a "COLUMN DIS" (Captain's and First Officer's flight controls disconnected) message on their EICAS. The flight data recorder showed, that the differential control forces applied by Captain and First Officer during the recovery exceeded the design values, at which the control columns were intended to disconnect (in order to free one set of controls in case of the blockage of the other). The Captain elected to divert to Kirksville feeling, the 717 needed to get onto the ground as quickly as possible. The autopilot was reengaged with autothrottle disengaged until final approach. The First Officer performed a manual landing with the Captain operating spoilers and throttles. The cockpit CVR revealed, that the Captain announced "rudder limiter fault" followed by the autopilot disconnect aural signal, then both Pilots called "down, down, down" several times. The Captain declared emergency to ATC, 2 seconds later the First Officer declared emergency to ATC, and both crew repeated the emergency calls several times. The overspeed aural signal was recorded later, both Pilots calling "up, up, up" several times following again by "down, down, down" several times. 4 minutes after the start of the upset the Captain said "get the ice on" followed by "ice protection, ice protection". A sound like the click of a switch was recorded, shortly thereafter the Captain advised ATC of the column disconnect and that they did not have any elevator control. Several more cycles of "up, up, up" and "down, down, down" followed. 8 minutes after the upset began, the crew started the diversion to Kirksville. The captain reported to ATC 14 minutes after the begin of the upset, that the 717 was back under control. Examination by the NTSB revealed two lightning strike attach points, one at the aft edge of the tail cone and one at the lower aft edge of the #3 VHF communication antenna. No further evidence of lightning was found, no parts were missing or damaged. The bonding strap providing electrical connectivity between fuselage and tail cone was intact and showed no heat damage or discoloration. The flight controls system showed no fault, except for the disconnected control columns. The disconnect alert was found working properly. The rudder system showed no fault. The air data heat system was tested without finding a fault. When the Air Data Heat switch underwent a 100 cycles switch test however, it was noticed that the electrical resistance between pins 6 and 7 was 116 milliohms although the specification by the manufacturer of the switch requires a value below 25 milliohms. During the 1st test cycle the resistance between pins 9 and 11 was greater than 1 Ohm, which means the contacts did not close. The single encounter did not repeat in the following 100 cycles of testing. The switch was x-rayed and subsequencly disassembled for examination. Evidence of arcing was found as well as lightly peened contact surfaces. The manufacturer of the switch provided 3 possible scenarios resulting from malfunction of the various poles of the switches, one scenario resulting in the loss of the rudder limiter pitot heat. This, in a NTSB test, led to the subsequent failure of the rudder limiter pitot and finally ended in a "RUDDER LIM FAIL" message. A simulation test regarding airplane performance revealed, that the air speed data off the flight data recorder had gross differences to the calculated simulation speeds. "The results of the simulation study indicated that the FDR airspeed data contained intermittent streams of anomalous data", the NTSB wrote.

AVIATION/ PAX RECALLS UAL 173 CRASH

A passenger onboard UNITED AIRLINES Flight 173, that crashed on December 28, 1978, recalled this past weekend the incident and its effect on her life. Her account was published in several Pacific NW media outlets. 30 years ago this past Sunday, Paula Medaglia of Oregon survived the crash of the out-of-fuel UAL DC8 that plowed into an open swath of land near Northeast 157th Avenue and East Burnside Street in Portland, Oregon. The DC8 was on Scheduled Domestic Service from New York, JFK, to Portland, with a stop in Denver, Colorado, with 181 passengers and 8 crew members onboard, when it crashed while circling the Portland Airport. Of those onboard, 8 passengers and 2 crew members were killed in the crash. There were multiple injuries from the remaining passengers and crew. Medaglia, 32, of Leaburg, Oregon, escaped with an arm bruise. "People will ask: Did your life flash before your eyes when you knew you were going to crash?" she says. "No. I knew I was going to get out of there somehow." She had come to Eugene in 1976 to get a second master's degree, from the University of Oregon and was returning from a holiday visit with her parents in Boston. Approaching Portland, the landing gear made a terrible noise when deployed. "Instead of clicking into place, it crashed into place," Medaglia remembers. "There was this huge boom and the whole plane shook." She was seated near the rear. the Pilot, she recalled, announced that they would circle while they checked out the plane. "Those were the days when you could still smoke on a plane, and nearly everybody, including myself, lit up," Medaglia says. "The woman next to me had 2 children on board, and as we were flying around I tried to keep it lighthearted for them." But the mother wasn't as low key. "She turned to me and said, 'If something happens and we get separated, will you take care of my little boy?' "At 5:44pm, the flight crew was told to brace the passengers for landing. But Medaglia says communication in the rear of the plane was poor. "We saw people up ahead putting on coats and getting out blankets, so we did the same." She said there was no panic in the tail section. "I remember looking out the window and seeing streetlights and houses and said to the woman next to me, 'Get in the crash position. I think we're pretty low.' You couldn't hear the engines; they'd gone out." Just 3 miles short of the Airport, the jolt of a wing hitting the roof of a vacant rental house shook the plane. "You heard this noise of the wing ripping the roof, and then boom, boom, boom, these lurches. I buried my head in my coat." Then the plane was still. When an exit slide was ripped by tree limbs, she found an exit at the back of the plane and jumped about 10 feet to the ground. She saw no casualties. Most of the victims were up front. Pilot Malburn McBroom survived and later was blamed for being so concerned about the landing gear, which apparently was fine, that he allowed the plane to run out of fuel. Medaglia and many other passengers, however, credit McBroom, who died in 2004 at 77, for setting the plane down in an open area and possibly saving their lives. They were taken to the Airport by bus. "Someone had a bottle of Jack Daniels and we were passing it around," Medaglia says. She is now 62 and senior program services coordinator for the Lane Workforce Partnership. The biggest impact on her, she says, has been nervousness while, ironically, in a car, and the empathy she feels for passengers when she hears of other plane crashes. While her parents were alive, she continued to fly back to see them with a little help from Valium. But now that her folks are gone, she says, no way. "I haven't flown since 1999. I don't want to push my luck."

AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

SANSA JET RUNS OFF RUNWAY: A SANSA Cessna Grand Caravan was on Domestic Scheduled Service from San Jose to Tamarindo, Costa Rica, when it ran off the runway after aborting its takeoff from San Jose, yesterday, December 29. The Caravan, with 11 passengers and 2 crew members onboard, aborted its takeoff at 1:50pm, and ran off the runway into a grassy area. None of the 13 passengers or crew were injured in the incident. Although it has not been confirmed what caused the Pilot to abort the takeoff, eyewitnesses reported that Emergency Services responded and were seen putting out what looked like an engine fire. The aircraft reportedly sustained damage, the extent of which is not known. The Airport was closed for several hours after the incident, but has since re-opened. Both Sansa and Costa Rican Aviation Officials are investigating the incident.
ANZ CONDUCTS "GREEN" FLIGHT: An AIR NEW ZEALAND Boeing 747-400, powered in part by vegetable oil, successfully completed a 2 hour flight today to test a biofuel that could lower airplane emissions and cut costs. 1 engine of the 747 was powered by a 50-50 blend of oil from jatropha plants and standard A1 jet fuel. While ANZ couldn't say whether the blend would be cheaper than standard jet fuel since jatropha is not yet produced on a commercial scale, the company expects the blend to be cost competitive. The flight was the first to use jatropha as part of a biofuel mix.
INCIDENTS
SKYWEST FLIGHT 2716: The CRJ200 was on Scheduled Domestic Service from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Flint, Michigan, when it had to make an emergency return to Milwaukee, yesterday, December 29. Flight 2716, with 40 passengers and crew onboard, declared the emergency reporting smoke in the cockpit. The CRJ landed about 11 minutes after its initial departure, without incident. The CRJ has been removed from service for further inspection and possible repairs. Skywest is investigating the incident.
AIR CANADA FLIGHT 921: The A320 was on Scheduled International Service from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Toronto, Canada, when it had to make an emergency landing in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, yesterday, December 29. Flight 921, with 135 passengers and crew onboard, experienced a loud popping sound associated with an unexpected yaw while climbing towards 10000 feet during its departure from West Palm Beach. The crew asked for return to West Palm Beach stating that they were having mechanical problems. The crew did not declared an emergency. After consulting with ATC and Airline officials from the Cockpit, the A320 was diverted to Ft Lauderdale, where it landed without incident about 1 hour after its initial takeoff. The A320 has been removed from service for further inspection and possible repairs. The FAA and the Airline have been stated that the aircraft may have suffered a bird strike on takeoff. Both the FAA and AC are investigating the incident.
NWA FLIGHT 620 & DELTA FLIGHT 1288: The NWA Boeing 757 and the Delta Boeing 737 were both damaged when they struck one another while both were being pushed back from their gates, on Sunday, December 28, at Seattle-Tacoma Airport. No one onboard was injured in the incident. The Boeing 757 suffered damage to its left elevator, while the Boeing 737 suffered substantial damage. Both aircraft have been removed from service. The NTSB has launched an investigation, as well as both Airlines.
AEROFLOT FLIGHT 315: The Boeing 767 was on Scheduled International Service from Moscow, Russia, to New York JFK, when it was delayed due to a problem with the Pilot, on Sunday, December 28. Prior to departure, passengers reported to Airline staff that the believed that the Pilot was intoxicated. The Pilot was removed from the flight, and a new Pilot was dispatched, allowing the 767 to depart with a 3 hour delay. Aeroflot has confirmed the incident and has said that initial tests were negative for alcohol or drugs. The Airline is continuing the investigation.
SKYWEST FLIGHT 6162: The CRJ200 was on Scheduled International Service from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to Chicago OHare, when it had to make an emergency return to Winnipeg, on Thursday, December 25. Flight 6162 reported problems with its flap immediately after takeoff. The CRJ landed without incident or injury about 40 minutes after its intial takeoff. The aircraft was removed from service for further inspection. It is not known if this was the same CRJ that was involved in flap problem on December 24. This marks the 11th incident involving flaps on CRJ200 aircraft this month.
SKYWEST FLIGHT 6562: The CRJ200 was on Scheduled International Service from Denver, Colorado, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, when it suffered problems with its flaps, while on approach to Winnipeg, on Wednesday, December 24. Flight 6562 reported the flap problems about 12 miles out of Winnipeg and conducted a missed approach. The crew went into a holding pattern in attempt to troubleshoot the problem. While no emergency was declared, the Airport deployed emergency services to meet the aircraft. The CRJ landed about 20 minutes later without incident or injury. The aircraft was sent for inspection. This was the 10th incident involving flaps on CRJ200 aircraft this month.

SNAPSHOTS

THE RUNNING MAN NEBULA, NGC1975-1978, AS CAPTURED IN A COMPOSITE OF TIMED SHOTS TAKEN YESTERDAY FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE.

LUXE MEN/ CANDID SHOTS (#10)

5 SHOTS OF AMATEUR MEN FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

MUSIC/BURKE REMAINS UK #1: X Factor winner Alexandra Burke's cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" has notched a 2nd week at #1 on the UK Singles Chart. The 20-year-old Londoner is joined at the top of the chart by 2006 X Factor winner Leona Lewis, whose version of Snow Patrol's "Run" is at #2. Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" has fallen 5 places to #7. Beyonce's "If I Were A Boy" is at #3, with "Broken Strings" by James Morrison and Nelly Furtado, rising to #4. Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" goes back up the chart 2 places to #5. The top 5 albums remain the same, with reformed boy band Take That's "The Circus" still on top in the final sales countdown of the year.
FILM/DISNEY DROPS "NARNIA": Citing "budgetary considerations and other logistics," Walt Disney Co. has pulled out of its partnership with Walden Media to finance further entries in the "Chronicles of Narnia" film franchise. Although the series' debut, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," grossed nearly $750m worldwide, its follow-up, "Prince Caspian," netted just $419m against a production budget of $200m, promotional costs not included. Other Walden Media productions such as "Nim's Island" and "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" have delivered similarly disappointing numbers, however this summer's "Journey to the Center of the Earth," starring Brendan Fraser, was considered a success. A spokesperson for Walden said that the company remains committed to the "Narnia" franchise. Production on a 3rd film, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," was scheduled to commence in early 2009 with an eye on a May 2010 release, but that timetable could now change.
SHOWBIZ/AFI NAMES TOP MOMENTS: Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" added another kudo to its list of honors as it was named one of the year's 8 "Moments of Significance" by the American Film Institute yesterday. The pic "stands as a monument to the possibilities of cross-cultural storytelling," the AFI said. Tina Fey also picked up another laurel, with AFI dubbing her America's First Lady of Laughs for her appearances as GOP veep candidate Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live" and for her multi-tasking on her NBC sitcom "30 Rock." Other significant moments in 2008 included TV and new-media coverage that allowed a worldwide audience to fixate on the historic presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain and NBC's coverage of the Summer Olympics in Beijing. The rapid changes in the TV distribution landscape were noted by AFI as being part of the "Age of Anxiety" for showbiz as traditional business models evolve. AFI cited such examples as the growth of Internet website Hulu, DirecTV's funding of a third season of NBC's "Friday Night Lights" and the NBC's decision to move Jay Leno into a Monday-Friday primetime berth. Joss Whedon's online success with his made-for-Internet tuner "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" earned a separate nod. On the film side, AFI noted the downturn for indie filmmakers, with specialty divisions such as Paramount Vantage, New Line, Warner Independent and Picturehouse disappearing. It also noted the loss of influence for film critics as many full-time positions were eliminated at Time, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, Village Voice and Newsday. AFI will honor the creatives behind these selections on January 9.

WORLD NEWS/ DEVASTATING YEAR FOR DISASTERS

Natural disasters killed more than 220,000 people in 2008, making it one of the most devastating years on record and confirming that a global climate deal is badly needed, the world's #2 reinsurer says. Although the number of natural disasters was lower than in 2007, the catastrophes in 2008 were more destructive in terms of the number of victims and the financial cost of the damage caused, Germany-based Munich Re said in its annual assessment today. Most devastating was Cyclone Nargis, pictured upper left, which battered Burma in May to kill more than 135,000 people, and the earthquake that shook China's Sichuan province the same month which left 70,000 dead, 18,000 missing and almost 5 million homeless, Munich Re said. "This continues the long-term trend we have been observing. Climate change has already started and is very probably contributing to increasingly frequent weather extremes and ensuing natural catastrophes," Munich Re said in a statement.

AVIATION/ 2008--THE YEAR IN REVIEW

The year 2008 was a year of extremes for Airlines around the world. High jet fuel prices and the downturn in the economy were dominant players in a carriers ability to survive. Few Airlines made any type of profit this year. As for accidents, there were 32 major accidents, which is on par with an average year, for Civil Multi-Engine Aircraft. The fatility rate was below the 10 year average, with 577 fatalities recorded. The 10 year average of fatalities is 865 per year. What follows is a brief synopsis of the year in accidents and business.

TOP 10 AVIATION ACCIDENTS

1. SPANAIR Flight 5022, an MD82, crashed on takeoff from Madrid, Spain, on August 20, killing 154 of the 172 passengers and crew onboard. (The crash is pictured above).

2. AEROFLOT NORD Flight 821, a Boeing 737, crashed on approach to Perm, Russia, on September 14, killing all 88 passengers and crew onboard.

3. ITEK AIR Flight 6895, a Boeing 737, crashed on emergency return to Bishkek, Krygyzstan, on August 24, killing all 65 passengers and crew onboard.

4. SANTA BARBARA AIRLINES Flight 519, an ATR 42, crashed into a Mountain near Meridia, Venezuela, on February 21, killing all 46 passengers and crew onboard.

5. A HEWA BORA AIRWAYS DC9 crashed at Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, on April 15, killing 3 of those onboard, and 37 people on the ground.

6. SUDAN AIRWAYS Flight 109, an A310, crashed on June 10 at Khartoum, Sudan, killing 30 of the 214 passengers and crew onboard.

7. A FLEX AIR Beech 1900 on Charter Service, crashed in the Sudan on May 2, killing all 21 passengers and crew onboard.

8. A POLISH AIR FORCE Casa 295 crashed at Miroslawec, Poland, on January 23, killing all 20 onboard.

9. A BLUE WING AIRLINES Antonov 28 crashed at Laua, Suriname, on April 3, killing all 19 passengers and crew onboard.

10. A YETI AIRLINES Twin Otter 300 crashed on landing at Lukla, Nepal, on October 8, killing all 18 passengers and crew onboard.

2 other notable crashes were a TRANSAVEN Let 410 that crashed on January 4 in Venezuela that killed 14, and TACA Flight 3190, a A320, that crashed on landing at Tegucigulpa, Honduras, on May 30. That crashed killed 2 of those onboard, and 3 people on the ground.

TOP 5 NON-FATAL INCIDENTS IN 2008

1. BRITISH AIRWAYS Flight 38, a Boeing 777, crashed on landing at London Heathrow Airport on Janaury 17. Several of the 152 passengers and crew onboard were injured in the incident. (The crash is pictured above).

2. KALITTA Flight 207, a Boeing 747, crashed on takeoff from Brussels, Belgium on May 25. The 5 crew members onboard were injured.

3. QANTAS Flight 30, a Boeing 747, experienced an explosing and sudden decompression about 30 minutes after takeoff from Hong Kong, while enroute to Sydney, on July 25. There were several injuries among the 365 passengers and crew onboard. Investigators determined that a stored O2 tank had exploded.

4. A QANTAS A330 experienced a sudden drop inflight, over Western Australia, injuring about 40 of the 313 passengers and crew onboard.

5. CONTINENTAL AIRLINES Flight 1404, a Boeing 737, crashed on takeoff from Denver, Colorado, on December 20. Multiple injuries from the 115 passengers and crew onboard.

STRANGEST INCIDENT OF THE YEAR: GO! AIRLINES Flight 1002 was on Scheduled Domestic Service from Honolulu to Hilo, Hawaii, on February 13, when both Pilots fell asleep inflight. The CRJ200 flew 26 miles past Hilo before the Pilots were awakened by ATC. Both were later fired by the Airline.

TOP BUSINESS STORIES

HIGH FUEL PRICES: For most of the year, jet fuel was running at record high prices cutting into the profits of almost every carrier. It also led to the demise of several carriers. Airlines added fuel surcharges and various other charges, such as a fee for checked bags, to cut their usage of oil. Many US domestic carriers slashed about 10% of their routes, and laid off thousands of staff. The price of oil has dropped dramatically in the last few months, which has given the carriers a break. Some Airlines have since dropped their fuel surcharges.

OUT OF BUSINESS: The downturn in the global economy, along with high jet fuel costs, led many carriers to close their doors this year. Among Airlines that ceased operations are: ALOHA, CHAMPION, ATA, SKYBUS, EOS, SILVERJET, STERLING, XL GROUP, L'AVION, MAXJET, and FAST AIR.

NWA&DELTA MERGE: The 2 US Legacy carriers merged this year, and will see operations combine in 2009. The new Airline to be called DELTA, will be based in Atlanta, Georgia.

ALITALIA SAVED: The struggling Italian Airline was saved at the last moment by an investment group. Plans are to merge the carrier with AIR ONE and attempt to re-establish itself as a major world carrier.

AEROFLOT CUTS TIES: Following the crash of an AEROFLOT NORD Boeing 737 on September 14, AEROFLOT cut all ties with its 2 subsidiaries, Aeroflot Nord and AEROFLOT DON. Both of those carriers have dropped the Aeroflot title from their names.

AIRBUS DELIVERS: Airbus Industries have continued to slowly deliver the new A380 superjumbo to Airlines. Following the 1st delivery late last year, Airbus delivered 10 more of the jets this year. SINGAPORE, QANTAS, and EMIRATES all fly the A380 now.

BOEING DOES NOT DELIVER: Boeing announced another delay in the long planned rolled of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The 1st delivery of the aircraft is now planned for the 1st quarter of 2010.

AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

REPORT PRESSURE ON ANZ A320 CRASH : The global Airline community is said to be anxiously awaiting investigators' findings into the November 27 crash AIR NEW ZEALAND Flight 888T, an A320, that crashed on approach to Perpignon, France. Although Airbus has refused to speculate on the cause of the accident, The New Zealand Herald reports the incident may be the 3rd in 3 months stemming from a defective flight control computer. All 7 crew members were killed when the A320 suddenly dove and banked into the Mediterranean near the end of a post-maintenance ferry flight. This was the 3rd instance in as many months that an Airbus had maneuvered erratically while in flight. Airbus released a Service Bulletin shortly after a QANTAS A330 dropped about 650 feet within seconds while flying over Australia in early October. That SB advised operators of the advanced widebody airliner, and its larger A340 sibling, to be aware of an apparent glitch in air data computers manufactured by Litton Industries, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman. In that case, a preliminary report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau determined one of the A330's three Air Data Inertial Reference Unit sent incorrect information to the aircraft's fly-by-wire flight control system, which caused the autopilot to disconnect due to warnings of an imminent stall. The flight data computers on the Air New Zealand aircraft were manufactured by another company, Honeywell. Pieces of the destroyed airliner are now being collected in a large hangar in Perpignon for forensic analysis. Although no one doubts the importance of conducting a methodical investigation, many are dismayed at the delay in extracting information crucial to determining the cause of the accident from the 2 recovered flight data recorders. According to a report from the New Zealand Herald, an Air New Zealand spokeswoman defended the ongoing investigative process, saying that speculation was neither helpful nor comforting to those involved. "The French authorities have spared no effort or expense, and we fully acknowledge that they have a due process to go through to determine the cause of the accident," she said.
CON FLIGHT 1404 PILOT RECOVERS: The Captain of CONTINENTAL AIRLINES Flight 1404 has been released from the hospital, a Continental spokeswoman Kelly Cripe announced, while a University of Colorado Hospital spokeswoman reported that 2 of the injured passengers remain and are in fair condition. Flight 1404 crashed on December 20 after aborting a troubled takeoff at Denver International Airport, injuring 38 of the 115 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 737-500. The airliner careened off the side of runway 34 Right, crossing a field, a taxiway, and a service road, shearing off the landing gear and finally coming to rest at the bottom of a wide, shallow ravine nearly 2,000 feet off the end of the runway. Because the right side of the plane became engulfed in a post-crash fire, the condition of much of the baggage and personal items still aboard is uncertain. "We have been processing baggage and personal items, and we are communicating directly with passengers regarding their baggage," the Continental spokeswoman said. "We will work diligently to reunite passengers with their baggage and personal belongings."On Friday, the NTSB investigator-in-charge, said he hopes to raise and move the plane from the crash site this week to facilitate further investigation. The NTSB said initially the wreckage will be moved to a designated location on the Airport ramp, and eventually to an off-Airport location.
WINDS DAMAGE JETS IN DETROIT: 4 aircraft, parked at their North Terminal gates, were damaged by winds of 60 knots yesterday morning at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County A NORTHWEST AIRLINES Boeing 757, parked at gate A20 was swung around, so that the left wing got under the jetbridge. Another NWA A320 received minor damages. A CONTINENTAL AIRLINES Boeing 737, sustained damage to its wing tip. In addition, an AMERICAN EAGLE ERJ135 was turned by 90 degrees while waiting for boarding of the passengers, but sustained no damages.
VOLCANO CLOSES AIRPORT: Predictions, that the Koryak Volcano located about 13 miles N/NE of Petropavlosvk-Kamchatsky Airport in Russia, on the Kamchatka peninsula, might burst into an explosive eruption, have closed the the Airport. The Volcano has increased its eruptions in the recent days. New collapses on the NW slope of the 3456m high volcano at a height of about 3100m have triggered the fears of an eruption. The volcano's last significant eruption was estimated to be about 3500 year ago. The last minor eruption was in 1957.
INCIDENTS
ROSSIYA FLIGHT 291: The Boeing 737 was on Scheduled International Service from St Petersburg, Russia, to Geneva, Switzerland, had to make an emergency return to St Petersburg, yesterday, December 28. Flight 291, with 100 passengers and crew onboard, returned to St Petersburg after the autopilot failed about 1 hours into the flight. The 737 landed without incident, and has been removed from service for further inspection and possible repairs. Rossiya is investigating the incident.

SNAPSHOTS

NATURES WINTER BEAUTY IS CAPTURED IN THIS AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN THIS WEEKEND NEAR JUNEAU, ALASKA.

LUXE MEN

LUXE MEN/ CLICK CLICK (#2)

AMATEUR SELF PORTRAITS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, USING A DIGITAL CAMERA OR CELL PHONE.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

BOOKS/"ANGELS" CANCELED: The publisher of a disputed Holocaust memoir has canceled the book that had been embraced by Oprah Winfrey and was set for a feature film adaptation. Herman Rosenblat has admitted to fabricating the story of meeting his future wife at a Nazi concentration camp. Rosenblat's "Angel at the Fence" had been scheduled to come out in February, but Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), withdrew the memoir yesterday following allegations by scholars, friends and family members that his tale was untrue. The Rosenblats were interviewed twice over the years by Winfrey, who has called their romance "the single greatest love story ... we've ever told on the air." Rosenblat, 79, a resident of the Miami area, was virtually unknown to the general public until the 1990s when he began speaking of how he came to know his wife, Roma Radzicky. According to Rosenblat and his wife, he was a prisoner at a sub-camp of Buchenwald in Nazi Germany and she a young Jewish girl whose family was pretending to be Christian and lived nearby. For months, they would meet on opposite sides of a barbed-wire fence, where she would sneak him apples and bread. Rosenblat was then transferred to another camp and the two lost touch, until the 1950s, when they were reunited by accident, on a blind date, in New York. They soon married and earlier this year celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Unlike such fake Holocaust memoirists as Misha Defonseca ("Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust Years") and Benjamin Wilkomirski ("Fragments"), Rosenblat is indeed a survivor and records prove that he was at the Buchenwald camp. But scholars doubted his story, noting that the layout of the sub-camp made such an encounter at the fence virtually unthinkable (They would have met right by an SS barracks). A recent article in The New Republic quoted friends and family members who were outraged by Rosenblat, so much so that one of his brothers stopped speaking to him.
ART/ROBERT GRAHAM DIES AT 70: Sculptor Robert Graham, whose massive bronze works mark civic monuments across America, including the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, has died at 70. Graham, who had been ailing, died yesterday at the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital with his family at his side, including his wife, Academy Award-winning actress Anjelica Huston. In Washington, Graham's bronze sculptures mark the Roosevelt memorial, where bronze panels symbolize the 54 social programs that were initiated under the president's New Deal. Graham also created the life-size, bronze figure of President Roosevelt in his wheelchair at the entrance of the memorial. In Detroit, Graham's Joe Lewis Memorial honors the boxer with a 24-foot bronze monument in the shape of a massive fist and forearm suspended from a pyramid structure. His 18-foot monument to jazz great Charlie Parker, depicting the musician's head above the words "Bird Lives," is in Kansas City, Missouri. In New York City's Central Park, Graham's Duke Ellington Memorial stands 30 feet high, with 3 columns topped with the muses holding up an 8-foot figure of the musician next to a piano. Graham designed a number of prominent works in Los Angeles, including the "Great Bronze Doors" of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The 25-ton entryway was completed over 5 years by about 150 artists. Another work in Los Angeles is "Olympic Gateway," comprising the headless figures of a musclebound man and a woman. It marks the entryway to the Memorial Coliseum, where the 1984 Olympics were held.