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Mount Blue Sky

Mount Blue Sky (formerly Mount Evans) is the highest peak in the Mount Evans Wilderness in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent 14271 ft fourteener is located 21.6 km southwest by south (bearing 214°) of Idaho Springs in Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States, on the drainage divide between Clear Creek in Arapaho National Forest and the North Fork South Platte River in Pike National Forest.

The peak is one of the characteristic Front Range peaks, dominating the western skyline of the Great Plains along with Pikes Peak, Longs Peak, and nearby Mount Bierstadt. Mount Blue Sky can be seen from over 100 mi to the east, and many miles in other directions. Mount Blue Sky dominates the Denver metropolitan area skyline, rising over 9,000 ft above the area. Mount Blue Sky can be seen from points south of Castle Rock, up to (65 mi south) and as far north as Fort Collins (95 mi north), and from areas near Limon (105 mi east).

The mountain was previously named for the second governor of the Territory of Colorado, John Evans. However, due to Evans's involvement in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, there were years of discussion over renaming Mount Evans. On September 15, 2023, the United States Board on Geographic Names officially changed the mountain's name to Mount Blue Sky.

Geography
Mount Blue Sky is the highest peak in a massif. The peak is 35 mi west of Denver as the crow flies and approximately 51 mi by road, via Idaho Springs. Other peaks in the massif are:
 * Mount Spalding (13,842 ft), 1.1 mi northwest
 * Gray Wolf Mountain (13,602 ft), 2.2 mi north-northwest
 * The Sawtooth (13,780 ft), 1.2 mi west
 * Mount Bierstadt (14,060 ft), 1.5 mi west-southwest
 * Mount Warren (13,307 ft), 1.2 mi north-northeast
 * Rogers Peak (13,391 ft), 2.33 mi northeast.

At least 7 deep glacial cirques cut into the massif. The cirques around Mount Blue Sky are the deepest cirques in the Colorado Rockies. The bottoms of many of these contain tarns, the most notable being:
 * Summit Lake at the head of Bear Creek, 0.5 mi north
 * the Chicago Lakes at the head of Chicago Creek, 2 mi north
 * Abyss Lake at the head of Lake Fork, 1 mi west-southwest

The Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway consists of State Highway 103 from Idaho Springs, Colorado on I-70 about 13 mi to Echo Lake, and Colorado 5 from Echo Lake 15 mi, ending at a parking area and turnaround just below the summit. The latter has long been the highest paved road in North America (5th highest in the world) and is only open in the summer. Colorado 103 continues east from Echo Lake to Mestaa'ėhehe Pass, from which it connects, via Clear Creek County Road 103 and Jefferson County Road 66, to Bergen Park from which Colorado 74 leads to Evergreen Colorado.

The Guanella Pass Scenic Byway passes within 4 mi west of Mount Blue Sky, linking Georgetown and I-70 with Grant and US 285, 22 mi to the south.

A marked hiking trail roughly parallels the highway from Echo Lake to the summit, and a second marked trail links Guanella Pass to Mount Bierstadt. A difficult side route of the latter climbs to the northeastern peak of The Sawtooth, from which an easy ridge leads to the summit of Mount Blue Sky.

Most of the Evans massif is now part of the Mount Evans Wilderness area in Arapaho National Forest and Pike National Forest. The exception is a narrow corridor along the highway from Echo Lake that is excluded from the wilderness. Summit Lake Park and Echo Lake Park are part of the historic Denver Mountain Parks system.

History
At least 48 different tribes have ancestral ties to the area around the mountain.

Albert Bierstadt and his guide, William Newton Byers, approached the mountain along Chicago Creek from Idaho Springs in 1863. Bierstadt called it Mount Rosalie, initially naming the mountain after his wife-to-be Rosalie Osborne, spending several days painting sketches of the mountain from the Chicago Lakes before climbing to Summit Lake and onward to the summit. Bierstadt's sketch, Mountain Lake, accurately portrays the view of Mount Spalding over the Chicago Lakes. His painting A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie, is based on that and other sketches. William Henry Jackson, attached to the Hayden Survey, visited the Chicago Lakes in 1873, where he took numerous photographs; the summit of the mountain is barely visible in several of these, peeking over the col between upper Chicago Lake and Summit Lake. The Hayden survey reported that Mount Rosalie was 14,330 feet above sea level, measured by triangulation.

The history of the Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway is part of a larger story of the Denver Mountain Parks system. The City and County of Denver initiated the construction of a series of automobile "scenic loops" to allow Denverites to explore the mountains. One road circuit, Circle G, was to traverse the ridge to Mestaa'ėhehe Pass on to Echo Lake, culminate in a climb up Mount Blue Sky, and loop down to Idaho Springs. In order to achieve this goal, Denver Mountain Parks acquired a series of land parcels, including the acquisition of Bergen Park in 1915. The Bear Creek segment from the Genesee saddle to Bergen Park was finished in 1915, while the Denver Mountain Parks committee worked to make Mount Evans a National Park, going as far as getting support in Congress for the construction of a "cement road" to the mountain. The first mile was paid for by Denver with the understanding that the State Highway Commission would do the rest. The Denver Mountain Parks committee was not without disagreement and setbacks, however. $30,000 was acquired early in 1916 to construct the Bergen Park to Mestaa'ėhehe Pass segment and all seemed to be flowing towards the goal of Mount Evans when the mayor of Denver, Robert W. Speer, appointed W.F.R. Mills as the Commissioner of Improvements, who summarily stopped the construction of the road, stating that "It is a road that starts nowhere, ends nowhere, and never gets there". After studying the issue, Mills later recanted and became a supporter of the park system, and the segment between Bergen Park and Mestaa'ėhehe Pass was constructed beginning in the spring of 1918. The next act was to get Mount Evans classified as a National Park, but 1916 was a tumultuous time between the National Park system and the U.S. Forest Service, who currently held claim to the mountain. Already in bitter struggle to prevent the formation of a National Park Service, Chief Forester Graves adamantly blocked the relinquishment of this area of National Forest, in exchange for Forest Service development of the area including the immediate construction of a road between Mestaa'ėhehe Pass and Echo Lake (Colorado). This joint exercise between the City and County of Denver, the U.S. Congress, the State Highway System, and now the Forest Service would be completed with help of a newly formed Federal Agency, the Bureau of Public Roads. In 1918, the Bureau of Public Roads provided the plan to construct 9.41 miles of road from Soda Pass (later called Squaw Pass and now called Mestaa'ėhehe Pass) to Echo Lake beginning in 1919. By 1920, the road had only managed to be constructed to Chief Mountain. By October 1 of 1921, the Bureau of Public Roads had completed construction to Echo Lake. The first survey for the road from Echo Lake to the peak of Mount Blue Sky was made in 1923, finishing the layout by January 1924 despite a flu outbreak in the camp, damaging windstorms, and nearly insurmountable environmental hardships. Battling the unusual problems that come with high-altitude construction (steam shovels performing only half as effective at high altitude, difficulty of hauling coal and water, horse suicide, etc.) the last 600 feet were finally built by hand, being completed in 1930.

The ruins of the Crest House (1941–1942) sit nearby. Once containing both a restaurant and a gift shop, it burned down on September 1, 1979, and was not rebuilt, but remains as a place of contemplation today. The rock foundation and walls remain as a windbreak for mountain travelers, and the viewing platform is one of Colorado's premier scenic overlooks.

The mountain, along with Echo Lake, was designated as a historic site by the American Physical Society in 2017, commemorating the many cosmic-ray physics experiments conducted on the mountain between 1935 and 1960.

Mount Blue Sky also hosts the annual Mt. Evans Hill Climb, a 27.4 mi bicycle race with a total of 6915 ft of climbing.

Climate
The atmospheric pressure on the summit is around 460 Torr (610 mbar), while a standard atmosphere (sea level) is 760 Torr (1013 mbar). At this pressure, many people suffer from altitude sickness.

The climate on the summit of Mount Blue Sky can be extreme. The mean annual temperature on the summit is 18 °F. Temperatures often fall below 0 °F, and occasionally fall as low as -40 °F. The highest temperature recorded on the summit was 65 °F, and below freezing temperatures may occur at any time of year. The maximum wind speed measured was 107 kn, the average is from 25 to 30 knots. When the wind speed is over 15 kn, the wind is almost always from the west-southwest.

2012 tornado
At 2:51 pm on July 28, 2012, a weak, short-lived tornado touched down northeast of Mount Blue Sky's summit at an elevation estimated by the National Weather Service of 11900 ft above sea level. The tornado was the second highest recorded in the United States but did not cause any damage because it was above tree line.

Flora
The slopes of Mount Blue Sky include several distinct environments. Below Echo Lake, the montane forest is dominated by lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and in some areas, blue spruce (Picea pungens), with patches of quaking aspen. Echo Lake is high enough to be in the subalpine forest, where Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) and bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata) dominate.

At tree line, the trees are reduced to krummholz, battered and twisted by wind and frost. The bristlecone pine grove on the east slope of Mount Goliath (39.64026°N, -105.59896°W) contains at least one tree that sprouted in the year 403 AD. For many years, these were the oldest known trees in Colorado, but in 1992, trees dating to 442 BC were found in the southern Front Range and South Park. The Mount Goliath Natural Area, jointly managed by the United States Forest Service and the Denver Botanic Gardens protects this grove of old trees.

Above tree line, the landscape is mostly alpine tundra. In the lower tundra, dwarf willow (Salix herbacea) is common, along with a wide variety of flowering plants such as Rocky Mountain Columbine (Aquilegia saximontana) and various species of dwarf alpine sunflowers. Toward the summit, the vegetation shrinks until the largest plants are little more than compact green cushions in the cracks between the rocks. Here, Alpine Forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris) plants with hundreds of blossoms occupy areas of only a few square centimeters and rise only centimeters above the soil surface.

The tundra around Summit Lake, particularly in Summit Lake Flats, the gently sloping area east of the lake, is frequently described as the southernmost area of arctic tundra in the world because it is water saturated and underlain by an extensive area of permafrost.

Fauna

The top predators found in the area are mountain lions (Puma concolor), anywhere on the mountain, and black bears (Ursus americanus), generally below tree line. These prey on bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) and mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), as well as one of the highest densities of yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) in the region. Above tree-line, pikas (Ochotona princeps) are common. Below tree line, elk (Cervus canadensis) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are common.

Among birds, the white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucurus) are present on the mountain, but so well camouflaged that they are difficult to see even when almost underfoot. Brown-capped rosy finches (Leucosticte australis), pipits and rock wrens (Salpinctes obsoletus) are also seen near the summit.

Geology
Mount Blue Sky was carved from the rock of the Mount Evans Batholith, formed by an intrusion of magma into the Earth's crust about 1.4 billion years ago (in the Mesoproterozoic Era of the Precambrian Eon). Much of the rock is granodiorite, a close relative of granite, modified by later intrusions of quartz and pegmatite.

The body of this batholith has been deeply cut by glacial cirques and canyons. Each of the nearby lakes, Summit Lake, the Chicago Lakes, Lincoln Lake and Abyss Lake are tarns located in cirques or glacial canyons surrounding Mount Blue Sky. Echo Lake was dammed by a lateral moraine of the glacier that formed Chicago Canyon. Prior to glaciation, Mount Blue Sky, Long's Peak and several other summits were monadnocks in an upland Peneplain. Glaciation has not entirely destroyed the ancient Flattop Peneplain, named for Flattop Mountain in Grand County. The peaks of these mountains are all remnant features of this peneplain.

Scientific research
The easy access to the summit provided by the Mount Blue Sky Highway has made it a popular location for scientific research. Arthur H. Compton conducted pioneering research on cosmic rays on the mountain in 1931, shortly after the road to the summit was completed. The University of Denver built a pair of A-frame buildings on the summit to house cosmic-ray researchers. By the 1950s, Mount Blue Sky, the Aiguille du Midi, the Pic du Midi and the Jungfrau were considered the premier locations for high-altitude physics experiments.

The first accurate measurement of the lifetime of the muon (originally called the mesotron) by Bruno Rossi in 1939, used sites at Mount Blue Sky, Echo Lake, Denver and Chicago. This experiment verified the reality of time dilation, one of the key predictions of Einstein's theory of relativity.

In the summer of 1948, MIT, Cornell, Princeton, NYU, Michigan, Chicago, Denver conducted an intensive experimental program on the mountain and at Echo Lake. Bruno Rossi and Giuseppe Cocconi were among those involved.

In 1965, the Midwestern Universities Research Association began doing high-energy physics experiments on the summit using cosmic rays to explore energies above those accessible with the most powerful particle accelerators of the day. The first experiments were conducted in a semi-trailer, and then in 1966, a temporary laboratory building was erected near the summit. This building was moved to Echo Lake that fall, where research continued until 1972.

The University of Denver erected the 0.6 m Ritchey–Chrétien telescope in its summit laboratory in 1972. This was used to observe comets Kohoutek and Halley in 1972 and 1986. In 1996, the university finished construction on the Meyer–Womble Observatory, near the site of the A-frame laboratory buildings. At 14,148 ft this was, from 1972 to 1999, the world's highest optical observatory. It is now the third-highest.

Mount Blue Sky has also been the site of significant research in the life sciences. In 1940, for example, it was the site of a significant study of high-altitude physiology. Pioneering studies on the effects of altitude training on track athletes were conducted on Mount Blue Sky in 1966.

Mount Evans Road is also noteworthy as a high-altitude vehicle testing venue for auto manufacturers. With full visibility on a public road, most manufacturers' road test teams tend to conceal their designs with various creative styles of camouflage, e.g. wild zebra paint motif, possibly paired with other temporary body coverings.

Name
Mount Evans was named after second territorial Governor of Colorado, John Evans. Commissions at Northwestern University and the University of Denver – both universities that were established by Evans himself – determined that Evans was among those responsible for the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, which resulted in the death of between 150 to 500 Cheyenne and Arapaho people, most of whom were elderly, women, and children. Attempts have been made to change the name of the mountain due to the history and actions of Governor Evans. In 2020, 43rd Colorado Governor Jared Polis established The Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board, which included Mount Evans for a possible renaming. The new name was proposed by the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. According to the proposal, the name "signifies the Arapaho as they were known as the Blue Sky People and the Cheyenne who have an annual ceremony of renewal of life called Blue Sky". In March 2022, Clear Creek County approved a proposal to rename the peak to Mount Blue Sky, pending state and federal review. Five other names were also submitted: Mount Rosalie, Mount Soule (after Silas Soule), Mount Sisty, Mount Evans (after Anne Evans), and Mount Cheyenne Arapaho. On November 17, 2022, the Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory recommended unanimously that the name be changed to Mount Blue Sky.

On March 3, 2023, Governor Jared Polis formally asked the United States Board on Geographic Names to rename the mountain to Mount Blue Sky. The board delayed any decision after the Northern Cheyenne Tribe requested a consultation, with tribal administrator William F. Walks Along saying the proposed name "conflicted with his nation’s use of the term in their confidential sacred ceremonies." On September 15, 2023, the BGN voted to change the name, becoming effective immediately. Despite the peak's name change, the efforts to make a corresponding name change for the Mount Evans Wilderness Area still requires congressional approval.

On October 16, 2023, Joe Neguse (Colorado-2 Democrat) introduced H.R. 5962 to the 118th Congress titled "To redesignate the Mount Evans Wilderness as the 'Mount Blue Sky Wilderness', and for other purposes".

title: Mount Blue Sky


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Pelvic floor dysfunction

Pelvic floor dysfunction is a term used for a variety of disorders that occur when pelvic floor muscles and ligaments are impaired. The condition affects up to 50 percent of women who have given birth. Although this condition predominantly affects women, up to 16 percent of men are affected as well. Symptoms can include pelvic pain, pressure, pain during sex, urinary incontinence (UI), overactive bladder, bowel incontinence, incomplete emptying of feces, constipation, myofascial pelvic pain and pelvic organ prolapse. When pelvic organ prolapse occurs, there may be visible organ protrusion or a lump felt in the vagina or anus. Research carried out in the UK has shown that symptoms can restrict everyday life for women. However, many people found it difficult to talk about it and to seek care, as they experienced embarrassment and stigma.

Common treatments for pelvic floor dysfunction are surgery, medication, physical therapy and lifestyle modifications.

The term "pelvic floor dysfunction" has been criticized since it does not represent a particular pelvic floor disorder. It has therefore been recommended that the term not be used in medical literature without additional clarification.

Epidemiology
Pelvic floor dysfunction is defined as a herniation of the pelvic organs through the pelvic organ walls and pelvic floor. The condition is widespread, affecting up to 50 percent of women at some point in their lifetime. About 11 percent of women will undergo surgery for urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse by age 80. Women who experience pelvic floor dysfunction are more likely to report issues with arousal combined with dyspareunia. For women, there is a 20.5% risk for having a surgical intervention related to stress urinary incontinence. The literature suggests that white women are at increased risk for stress urinary incontinence.

Though pelvic floor dysfunction is thought to more commonly affect women, 16% of men have been identified with pelvic floor dysfunction. Pelvic floor dysfunction and its multiple consequences, including urinary incontinence, is a concerning health issue becoming more evident as the population of advancing age individuals rises.

Causes
Mechanistically, the causes of pelvic floor dysfunction are two-fold: widening of the pelvic floor hiatus and descent of pelvic floor below the pubococcygeal line, with specific organ prolapse, graded relative to the hiatus. People with an inherited deficiency in their collagen type may be more likely to develop pelvic floor dysfunction. Additionally, people with congenitally weak connective tissue and fascia are at an increased risk for stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Recent literature demonstrates that defects in endopelvic fascia and compromised levator ani muscle function have been categorized as important etiologic factors in the development of pelvic floor dysfunction. Some circumstances are clearly associated with collagen defects. These include vaginally delivering a child, being post-menopausal, and being of advanced age.

Some lifestyle behaviors can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction. This includes avoiding urinating or bowel movements, obesity, use of muscle relaxants or narcotics, and use of antihistamines or anticholinergics. Using muscle relaxants or narcotics can lead to increased smooth and skeletal muscle relaxation, potentially related to urinary incontinence. Antihistamines and anticholinergics may have additive effects that lead to urinary hesitancy and retention, ultimately leading to pelvic floor dysfunction. Urinary incontinence can also affect athletes, especially those in sports that require high impact such as jumping. Gymnasts, for example, report a high prevalence of urinary incontinence. Studies show that athletes in sports requiring high spinal stability may also have this condition, as the activation of abdominal wall muscles can cause urinary alterations during activities. In some cases, sexual abuse can also be associated with chronic pelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Pelvic floor dysfunction can result after pelvic radiation, as well as other treatments for gynecological cancers.

Diagnosis
Pelvic floor dysfunction can be assessed with a strong clinical history and physical exam, though imaging is often needed for diagnosis. As part of the clinical history, a healthcare provider may ask about obstetric history, including how many pregnancies and deliveries, what mode of delivery and if there were any complications during delivery. Providers will also ask about presence and severity of symptoms such as pelvic pain or pressure, problems with urination or defecation, painful sex, or sexual dysfunction. The physical exam may include both examination with a speculum to visualize the cervix and check for inflammation, as well as manual examination with the provider's fingers to assess for pain and strength of pelvic floor muscle contraction.

Imaging provides a more complete picture of the type and severity of pelvic floor dysfunction than history and physical exam alone. Historically, fluoroscopy with defecography and cystography were used. More recently, MRI has been used to complement and sometimes replace fluoroscopic assessment of the disorder. This technique is less invasive, and allows for less radiation exposure and increased patient comfort, though an enema is required the evening before the procedure. Both fluoroscopy and MRI assess the pelvic floor at rest and during maximum strain using coronal and sagittal views.

When grading individual organ prolapse for severity, the rectum, bladder and uterus are individually assessed. Prolapse of the rectum is referred to as a rectocele, bladder prolapse through the anterior vaginal wall is called a cystocele, and prolapse of the small bowel is an enterocele. To assess the degree of dysfunction, three measurements are taken into account. First, an anatomic landmark known as the pubococcygeal line must be determined, which is a straight line connecting the inferior margin of the pubic symphysis at the midline with the junction of the first and second coccygeal elements on a sagittal image. After this, the location of the puborectalis muscle sling is assessed, and a perpendicular line between the pubococcygeal line and muscle sling is drawn. This line provides a reference point for the measurement of pelvic floor descent. Descent greater than 2 cm below this line is considered mild and descent greater than 6 cm is considered severe. Lastly, a line from the pubic symphysis to the puborectalis muscle sling is drawn, which is a measurement of the pelvic floor hiatus. Measurements greater than 6 cm are considered mild, and greater than 10 cm severe. The degree of organ prolapse is assessed relative to the hiatus.

The grading for organ prolapse relative to the hiatus is more strict. Any descent below the hiatus is considered abnormal, and descent greater than 4 cm is considered severe.

Ultrasound can also be used to diagnose pelvic floor dysfunction. Transabdominal, transvaginal, transperineal and endoanal ultrasound (EUS) are important tools for diagnosing pelvic floor dysfunction. For EUS, an ultrasound probe is inserted into the anal canal and can be used to visualize and assess the anatomy and function the pelvic floor. Ultrasound is easily accessible and noninvasive; however, it may compress certain structures, does not produce high-quality images and cannot be used to visualize the entire pelvic floor.

Treatment
There are several approaches to treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction, and often several approaches are used in combination.

Physical therapy
Pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training is vital for treating different types of pelvic floor dysfunction. Two common problems are uterine prolapse and urinary incontinence both of which stem from muscle weakness. Pelvic floor muscle therapy is the first line of treatment for urinary incontinence and thus should be considered before more invasive procedures such as surgery. Being able to control the pelvic floor muscles is vital for a well functioning pelvic floor. Without the ability to control the pelvic floor muscles, pelvic floor training cannot be done successfully. Pelvic floor muscle therapy strengthens the muscles of the pelvic floor through repeated contractions of varying strength. Through vaginal palpation exams and the use of biofeedback, the tightening, lifting, and squeezing actions of these muscles can be determined. Biofeedback can be used to treat urinary incontinence as it records contractions of the pelvic floor muscles and can help patients become aware of the use of their muscles. PFM training can also increase female sexual satisfaction by improving sexual function and the ability to orgasm. In men, PFM exercises can also help maintain a strong erection.

In addition, abdominal muscle training has been shown to improve pelvic floor muscle function. By increasing abdominal muscle strength and control, a person may have an easier time activating the pelvic floor muscles in sync with the abdominal muscles. Many physiotherapists are specially trained to address the muscle weaknesses associated with pelvic floor dysfunction and can effectively treat pelvic floor dysfunction through strengthening exercises. Overall, physical therapy can significantly improve the quality of life of those with pelvic floor dysfunction by relieving symptoms.

Medication
Overactive bladder can be treated with medications, including those in the class of antimuscarinics and beta 3 agonists. Antimuscarinics are the most commonly used, however, beta 3 agonists can be used for those that are unable to take antimuscarinics due to side effects or other reasons.

Devices
A pessary is a plastic or silicone device that may be used for women with pelvic organ prolapse. Vaginal pessaries can immediately relieve prolapse and prolapse-related symptoms. This treatment is useful for individuals who do not want to have surgery or are unable to have surgery due risk of the procedure. Some pessaries have a knob that can also treat urinary incontinence. To be effective, pessaries must be fitted by a medical provider and the largest device that fits comfortably should be used.

Other devices train the pelvic floor via internal exercises with biofeedback mechanisms.

Lifestyle modifications
Treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction, especially the symptom of urinary incontinence, is essential, but so is prevention. Patients are usually encouraged to change their lifestyles; interventions such as reducing body weight, limiting the use of stimulants, quitting smoking, limiting strenuous efforts, preventing constipation and increasing physical activity can help prevent pelvic floor dysfunction. For those that already have diagnosed pelvic floor dysfunction, symptoms can be eased by physical activity, especially abdominal exercises and pelvic floor exercises (Kegels) that strengthen the pelvic floor. Symptoms of urinary incontinence can also be reduced by making dietary changes such as limiting intake of acidic and spicy foods, alcohol and caffeine.

Surgery
Surgery is performed when desired by the patient or when less invasive treatments, such as lifestyle modification and physical therapy, are not effective. There are various procedures used to address prolapse. Cystoceles are treated with a surgical procedure known as a Burch colposuspension, with the goal of suspending the prolapsed urethra so that the urethrovesical junction and proximal urethra are replaced in the pelvic cavity. Uterine prolapse is treated with hysterectomy and uterosacral suspension. With enteroceles, the prolapsed small bowel is elevated into the pelvis cavity and the rectovaginal fascia is reapproximated. Rectoceles, in which the anterior wall of the rectum protrudes into the posterior wall of the vagina, require posterior colporrhaphy, also known as repair of the vaginal wall. Though pelvic floor dysfunction is more common in women, there are also proven methods to assist men. In severe cases of pelvic floor dysfunction causing urinary incontinence, a radical prostatectomy followed by postoperative pelvic floor muscle therapy is an option.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Pelvic floor dysfunction


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James Lipton

Louis James Lipton (September 19, 1926 – March 2, 2020) was an American writer, actor, talk show host, and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. He was the executive producer, writer, and host of the Bravo cable television series Inside the Actors Studio, which debuted in 1994. He retired from the show in 2018.

Early life
Louis James Lipton was born on September 19, 1926, in Detroit, the only child of Betty (née Weinberg), a teacher and librarian, and Lawrence Lipton, a journalist and beat poet. Known for writing the Beat Generation chronicle The Holy Barbarians, Lawrence was a graphic designer, a columnist for the Jewish Daily Forward, and a publicity director for a movie theater. Lawrence was a Polish Jewish emigrant (from Łódź), whose surname was originally Lipschitz. Betty's parents were Russian Jews. His parents divorced when Lipton was six, and his father abandoned the family.

Lipton's family struggled financially, and he started to work at age 13. He worked in high school as a newspaper copy boy for the Detroit Times and as an actor in the Catholic Theater of Detroit and in radio. Lipton had initially intended to become an attorney. After graduating from Central High School in Detroit, he attended Wayne State University for one year in the mid-1940s and enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lipton talked about his time in Paris in the 1950s when he worked for about a year as a pimp. On the Today show, Lipton clarified that he had worked as a beneficent maque in the regulated prostitution business.

Career
Shortly after graduating high school, Lipton portrayed Dan Reid, the Lone Ranger's nephew, on WXYZ Radio's The Lone Ranger. He initially studied to be a lawyer in New York City, and turned to acting to finance his education. From 1952 to 1962, Lipton started in The Guiding Light, playing the role of Dr. Dick Grant and eventually becoming head writer. He wrote for several soap operas: Another World, The Edge of Night, The Best of Everything, Return to Peyton Place and Capitol. Lipton studied for two and half years with Stella Adler, four years with Harold Clurman, and two years with Robert Lewis. He also started studying voice and dance (including modern dance and classical ballet), and choreographed a ballet for the American Ballet Theatre.

In 1951, he appeared in the Broadway play The Autumn Garden by Lillian Hellman. He portrayed a shipping clerk turned gang member in Joseph Strick's 1953 film, The Big Break, a crime drama. He was the librettist and lyricist for the short-lived 1967 Broadway musical Sherry!, based on the Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman play The Man Who Came to Dinner, with music by his childhood friend Laurence Rosenthal. The score and orchestrations were lost for over 30 years, and the original cast was never recorded. In 2003, a studio cast recording (with Nathan Lane, Bernadette Peters, Carol Burnett, Tommy Tune, Mike Myers and others) renewed interest in the show.

His book, An Exaltation of Larks, was first published in 1968, and has been in-print and revised several times since then, including a 1993 Penguin Books edition. The book is a collection of "terms of venery", both real and created by Lipton himself. The dust jacket biography for the first edition of Exaltation said his activities included fencing, swimming, and equestrian pursuits and that he had written two Broadway productions.

In 1981, Lipton published his novel, Mirrors, about dancers' lives. He later wrote and produced it as a made-for-television movie. For the genre of television, Lipton produced some two dozen specials including: twelve Bob Hope Birthday Specials; The Road to China, an NBC entertainment special produced in China; and the first televised presidential inaugural gala (for Jimmy Carter).

In 2004, 2005, 2013, and 2019, Lipton appeared on several episodes of Arrested Development as Warden Stefan Gentles. In 2008, he provided the voice for the Director in the Disney animation film Bolt. He played "himself" as Brain Wash, interviewer of the monster Eva's acting teacher in the Paris-Vietnam animated film Igor. Lipton also appears twice in the same episode of Family Guy in cutaways where he simply says "Improv!" both times.

Inside the Actors Studio
In the early 1990s, Lipton was inspired by Bernard Pivot and sought to create a three-year educational program for actors that would be a distillation of what he had learned in the 12 years of his own intensive studies. In 1994, he arranged for the Actors Studio—the home base of "method acting" in the United States—to join with New York City's New School University and form the Actors Studio Drama School, a formal degree-granting program at the graduate level. After ending its contract with the New School, the Actors Studio established The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in 2006.

Lipton created a project within the Actors Studio Drama School: a non-credit class called Inside the Actors Studio (1994), where successful and accomplished actors, directors and writers would be interviewed and would answer questions from acting students. These sessions were also taped, edited, and broadcast on television for the general public to see. The episodes were viewed in 89 million homes throughout 125 countries. Lipton hosted the show and conducted the main interview. In a 2008 interview, when asked if he had anticipated the show's success, Lipton responded, "Not in my wildest imaginations. It was a joint, arduous effort involving many people. At a point and time not too distant in the past, I had three lives. I was the dean of the Actors Studio, the writer of the series, its host and executive producer. I maintained a preposterous sixteen-hour schedule." He was awarded France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2014 for his work on the show.

Lipton's last Inside the Actors Studio, an interview with Ted Danson, aired on January 11, 2018. In September 2018, Lipton stated that he was stepping down from the program after more than 24 years.

Personal life
Between 1954 and 1959, Lipton was married to actress Nina Foch. He was married to Kedakai Turner Lipton, a model and real estate broker, from 1970 until his death. Kedakai was known as the model playing Miss Scarlet on the cover of the boardgame Clue. She was the book and illustration designer for Lipton's book, An Exaltation of Larks, The Ultimate Edition.

In the 200th episode of Inside the Actors Studio, Lipton revealed that he was an atheist.

Lipton stated in interviews that he was a pilot, certified in Airplane Single Engine Land planes. He had been flying since 1980 and learned in a Cessna 152 and 172, at Van Nuys Airport. As of 2013, he had logged more than 1,000 hours of flight time. Lipton was a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Death
Lipton died of bladder cancer at his home in Manhattan on March 2, 2020, at the age of 93.

title: James Lipton


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Good article reassessment for HIV
HIV has been nominated for a good article reassessment. Please leave your comments and help us to return the article to good article quality. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, the good article status will be removed from the article. Reviewers' concerns are here. Phoenix  of9  06:33, 25 March 2010 (UTC)

Hi Back atcha, Joe Smack
Hey Justin,

Got your kind welcoming message.

Leaving the rest in my Talk Page. Please check there. Thanks!

Larryblau (talk) 09:14, 27 December 2009 (UTC)

- Hey, also wanted to say thanks! I've been around Wiki for years now and made accounts here and there but never really contributed. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Wordscanbebroken (talk) 18:26, 28 December 2009 (UTC)

Thankyou
Thankyou for the welcome message! Look forward to working with you all in the future. Best wishes, Orphan Wiki (talk) 19:54, 28 December 2009 (UTC)

Hey Joe
Thank you very much for the warm welcome.

It was a nice surprise to receive your message.

--Xajaxnet (talk) 17:38, 30 December 2009 (UTC)

My Teen Voice Says OMG
Love the personal touch. Never expected a "real" welcome message so this is a nice surprise. Green Minnow (talk) 18:43, 31 December 2009 (UTC)

Thanks
Very nice of you. Henrique6 (talk) 20:27, 31 December 2009 (UTC)

Non Free Images in your User Space
Hey there JoeSmack, thank you for your contributions! I am a bot alerting you that Non-free files are not allowed in the user or talk-space. I removed some images that I found on User:JoeSmack/awards. In the future, please refrain from adding fair-use images to your user-space drafts or your talk page. See a log of images removed today here, shutoff the bot here and report errors here. Thank you, -- DASHBot (talk) 04:41, 3 February 2010 (UTC)

Progress updated
Hi - hope you haven't got stuck under a pile of boxes ! I think I've got cats coming out my ears myself! Don't worry - haven't forgotten the intros - but I thought nav boxes too distracting - hey lets navigate by categories... and then realized how much tidying up, sob. I think I'm getting somewhere Category:Wikipedia help is feeling more healthy, hopefully we can then point users to navigate around help using these cats.. and all will be well with the world. Lee∴V (talk • contribs) 01:18, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

GA reassessment of University of California, Santa Cruz
I have conducted a reassessment of the above article as part of the GA  Sweeps process. I have found some concerns which you can see at Talk:University of California,  Santa Cruz/GA1. I have placed the article on hold whilst these are fixed. Thanks. Jezhotwells (talk) 15:47, 19 February 2010 (UTC)

A little update
Had a headache enducing bash at help categories a little while ago, and been focused on an article I've contributed a lot to appearing on the main page, a few bits to tidy up on that ( and some on cats too) hopefully I can get focused to integrate the easy intros more completely soon, hope all is well. Lee∴V (talk • contribs) 22:22, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Interesting to see the intro to policies translated ! Hope everything is alright ? Lee∴V (talk • contribs) 21:47, 10 March 2010 (UTC)

INTRO:PG listed at Redirects for discussion
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INTRO:POLICY listed at Redirects for discussion
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talk page of AIDS denialism
Just to let you know: I plan to remove clear talk page violations from the AIDS denialism page. After being away from Wikipedia since August, I'm amazed that certain denialist agenda editors continue to waste so much of your (and everyone's) valuable time with fruitless debate. Please object and discuss if you disagree with my position, but I strongly oppose the abuse of Wikipedia as a publicity tool for extreme fringe ideas and feel that a hard line on violations is warranted. Keepcalmandcarryon (talk) 19:44, 10 February 2011 (UTC)

FAR
nominated Encyclopædia Britannica for a featured article review here. Please join the discussion on whether this article meets featured article criteria. Articles are typically reviewed for two weeks. If substantial concerns are not addressed during the review period, the article will be moved to the Featured Article Removal Candidates list for a further period, where editors may declare "Keep" or "Delist" the article's featured status. The instructions for the review process are here. Snowman (talk) 13:48, 16 September 2011 (UTC)

Kotohira Jinsha v. McGrath
Hi, sorry I have been away from Wikipidia for a while and starting to get back into the groove.

Anyway, after an accumulative annoyance of that “mosque near ground zero” fuss attempting to make a comparison to Pearl Harbor. I found a little known court case known as Kotohira Jinsha v. McGrath, lost in the pages of history involving a Shinto shrine I passed nearly every day.

I need another set of eyes

From the information gathered, I found a timeline to be an efficient way of organizing the information, but is it the best?

J. D. Sumner article
I believe the J. D. Sumner article needs a picture of him, and sure enough I found a good one. It's on the Facebook community page about him, so what usage policies would it fall under? Gigogag (talk) 21:44, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

The Great Revival: CVU Vandalism Studies Project
Hi! We're dropping you this rather unexpected message on your talk page because you signed up (either quite a while ago or rather recently) to be a member of the Vandalism Studies project. Sadly, the project fell into semi-retirement a few years ago, but as part of a new plan to fix up the Counter-Vandalism Unit, we're bringing back the Vandalism Studies project, with a new study planned for Late 2012! But we need your help. Are you still interested in working with us on this project? Then please sign up today! (even if you signed up previously, you'll still need to sign up again - we're redoing our member list in order to not harass those who are no longer active on the Wiki - sorry!) If you have any questions, please leave them on this page. Thanks, and we can't wait to bring the project back to life! -Theopolisme (talk) & Dan653 (talk), Coordinators

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INTRO: listed at Redirects for discussion
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BeefCutChuck.svg deletion discussion on Commons
The SVG version of your file File:BeefCutChuck.svg (but not the PNG version at File:BeefCutChuck.png) is up for deletion at. You may want to comment there; or, if you have an original SVG vector file of this image, that is not just an embedded PNG, you may want to contribute that and mention on the deletion page. --Closeapple (talk) 17:24, 14 March 2014 (UTC)

Nomination for deletion of Template:Infobox beef
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ArbCom elections are now open!
MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 12:49, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

Possible removal of AWB access due to inactivity
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title: User talk:JoeSmack


text:
File:Fort Randall Military Post.jpg

Licensing
Basis for copyright status claim: Age of image (the fort closed in 1892) and possibly origination by the U.S federal government.

title: File:Fort Randall Military Post.jpg


text:
Talk:Cotton Hill

Cotton's age
Isn't Cotton at least 75 or older? It seems like I can recall an episode where Hank mentions something to that effect. Cbing01 04:45, 30 Jul 2004 (UTC)

How the hell could he fight in World War 2 and have an illegitimate child with that Japanese woman if he was FIFTEEN when the war ended in 1945? I'm changing the date to 1927, unless someone can give a reason why it makes sense that a World War 2 veteran was born in 1930. --71.174.56.209 04:04, 9 November 2007 (UTC) my grandfather was a world war II vet, he was born in 1930, he lied about his age, perhaps Cotton die the same? Iamanadam (talk) 19:52, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

 * "I was 14, just a little older than Bobby. But I knew Uncle Sam needed me, so I lied and signed up. 2001:5B0:2702:4758:400D:78C:55CB:E713 (talk) 10:20, 12 March 2023 (UTC)

more
1) "...normally keeps hidden, in which he feels..." sounds bad

2) Should we mention that he almost commited suicide once?

3) his fear of hugging should be talked about.

4) Is it just me or is the way cotten says "B.H." (Bad Hank) supposed to soud like Bitch?

5) He couldn't have been born in the 30s if he fought in the WWII. Was he, 9 when he enlisted? He must have been born during the 20s.205.193.82.252 14:32, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

merge
as per consensus at Articles for deletion/Didi Hill the below contents should be merged into this article as soon as convienient. Jtkiefer T - 16:23, 25 September 2005 (UTC)

Didi Hill is a character in the animated series, King of the Hill. She is the second wife of Cotton Hill. Since Peggy is one year younger than Didi, she should be about 43 years old. Didi has one child with her 75 year old husband. The child is named Good Hank or "G.H." She suffered post-partum depression after the child's birth, and Bobby was to act as the "father." He even cut the umbilical cord. Good Hank strikes a very close resemblance to Bobby. It is also obvious that Didi is a somewhat subservient to her husband, who thinks women are only good for work.

Discrepency in Cotton Hill's MIlitary Service.
Wikipedia says "he also claimed to have fought in both Munich and Okinawa within a matter of weeks of each other", but while filling out an application a military burial plot for Cotton, Hank point out to Peggy that he claimed to be Okinawa and Munich on April 30th and May 2nd, making the difference "2 days" not a matter of "weeks of each other" making his claims to have been in both Germany and Japan not possible.

The discrepency listed is a matter of "days" instead of "weeks" as I just watched the episode and I noticed the error. I don't do a lot of corrections to wikipedia, and the few times I have tried to correct small errors, I apparently didn't follow normal Wikipedia procedures, so I would prefer if someone else will verify the information I listed and make the corrections.

Thanks.

Fin

re: trivia
I feel the last trivia point is opinion and spurious, it compares Cotton Hill to Audie Murphy without any actual evidence at all, Cotton was in the Pacific Campaign and Audie was in the European Theater as the the article points out. But also Audie Murphy was a well liked person who was often cited as being quite kind hearted, he was known for his boyish good looks and was a prolific movie star. Lastly he is cited by Wikipedia and other sources as having killed at least 240 men rather than fifty as the article states. I just don't think this point is factual and if nobody has a problem I am going to take it out tomorrow, I don't think this is nitpicking as anybody reading on a popular character like Cotton Hill will have an incorrect impression of one of America's greatest War Hero'es. --Colin 8 05:29, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Wanted to point out that Cotton did serve in Europe, in that one episode while playing Scrabble at the VFW he references drinking sangria from a woman's belly button after fighting at Anzio.

I said I was going to remove the last trivia point if there weren't objections and I guess their weren't so I'm taking it out. --Colin 8 21:06, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

It might be worth noting that both Cotton and Audie were members of the Texas National Guard and Cotton's repeated claim of "I killed fiddy men" is normally in the context of him killing that many people during a single skirmish much like events surrounding Audie's Medal of Honor citation (an award that Cotton has also received). While Cotton's personality may not be molded after Audie Murphy's, his record during World War II is similar to Audie's and it's possible that Cotton was placed in the Pacific Theater to remove any potential bigotry against Kahn in Cotton's original appearance in the series. And, not to forget, the post-war Cotton is short but dangerous - much like Audie Murphy. It's not an exact match, but the influence of Audie on Cotton is pretty obvious and worth noting in the article. 156.99.178.21 19:33, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

Leg injury
Is attaching the feet to the knees after irreparable shin damage a real operation? It sounds kind of silly, but it would certainly be preferable to outright amputation. ~ CZeke 06:10, 9 January 2007 (UTC)
 * I highly doubt it. For one thing, the size of the bones at the knee and the ankle wouldn't be the same size, so they wouldn't heal properly. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Defense Mechanism (talk • contribs) 01:05, 31 August 2007 (UTC)
 * It's probably impossible. Just a comical aspect about Cotton. mrholybrain 's talk 01:58, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

Colonel?
Could someone shed light on Cotton's rank? Is there an episode establishing he's just a State Militia colonel, as the article indicates? In flashbacks on the show, he's depicted variously with private or sergeant's stripes. But everyone always refers to him as "colonel." I've always wondered about this, but maybe just missed a flashback about his promotion to colonel. Thanks! 66.17.118.195 21:15, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Death
So.. who's gonna tell Tilly? She was just.. absent in this episode. Anyone gonna bother to tell Junichirou?

I'm glad he is gone. 75.190.148.136 02:02, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

I guess Tilly won't really make an appearance anymore. So ,like, shouldn't Peggy be considered a murderer? She pretty much convinced Cotton that death would be better than life. Shouldn't that make her some type of murderer? If you DEFINITELY know about law, then please answer without opinions and crap.SxeFluff 02:25, 12 November 2007 (UTC)]] 20:29, 11 November 2007 —Preceding unsigned comment added by SxeFluff (talk • contribs)

 * No. I'm pretty sure an argument that results in a fatal heart-attack, or whatever it was, can't be called a murder. Those two have fought before and I believe she even punched him in the face once. Granted his weakened state makes it different, but the doctors expected him to die anyway. I do wonder about Didi and Good Hank though. They may not have been great characters, but it seems like they can't just make them magically disappear. The things Cotton said in this episode give me the sense they left him though.--T. Anthony 03:29, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

Presumably, Didi and Good Hank are going to be retired from the series now that Cotton's dead. Didi was not much of a character and G.H did not have much of a story or reason to be there, other than being Cotton's son and the child Hank feels envious of. Cluebert 10:55, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

 * This is a late response, but after re-watching the episode "Daletech" I noticed it apparently implies they broke up. She drops him off and he states something like "go ahead and call your lawyer." The family apparently missed that and he explained "she's gone to see her folks for the Summer and Autumn and maybe longer." In subsequent episodes I've seen, now that I'm looking for it, she is gone. So I guess they did break up and I just missed it the first time.--T. Anthony (talk) 08:07, 2 March 2009 (UTC)

 * Maybe not as they were shown together at Luanne's wedding. (Although this could just be "as a date" or something)--T. Anthony (talk) 14:15, 18 April 2009 (UTC)

Please keep in mind that this is not a forum for discussing KotH, but for changes/improvements to the Cotton Hill article. — EagleOne\Talk 16:50, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

He may or may not be dead,there was no funeral and if a character dies in king of the hill,they usually will have a funeral,I mean,they had one for buckly,and he learned to lower his heart rate so,he may be alive,just not likely to return. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.166.254.137 (talk) 16:03, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Death
Looks like Cotton dies as of the November 11, 2007 episode. That's unfortunate, becuase he was a very interesting and peculiar character (and personally, one that i absolutely loved watching). RingtailedFox • Talk • Stalk 01:58, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

It hasn't been officially confirmed that he is dead. We can only assume. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.82.9.92 (talk) 02:45, 12 November 2007 (UTC)
 * No, it's not confirmed, but it is almost certain. I doubt Cotton will come back. This is King of the Hill, not 24. mrholybrain 's talk 03:26, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

 * Late response, but it's clear now he certainly is dead as they flushed his ashes.--T. Anthony (talk) 17:08, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

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== Cotton Hill Died November 2 2001 Before Monsters Inc In Theaters. The Simpsons Bart Simpson Vs Cotton Hill. Homer Simpson VS Hank Hill. Marge Simpson VS Bobby Hill. Lisa Simpson VS Peggy Hill. Abe Simpson VS Hank Hill. Bart Simpson VS Bobby Hill. Homer Simpson VS Hank Hill. Cotton Hill VS Abe Simpson. Hank Hill Hits Ned Flanders. Cotton Hill VS Ned Flanders. Marge Simpson VS Peggy Hill. ==

Homer Simpson VS Hank Hill 152.97.161.254 (talk) 00:28, 8 September 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Cotton Hill


text:
User talk:We are just ones

Please do not vandalize Wikipedia. Lir is not an admin at this point in time. Thank you. [[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 04:49, 2004 Jul 30 (UTC)

title: User talk:We are just ones


text:
Seattle Monorail Project

The Seattle Monorail Project was a proposed five-line monorail system to be constructed in Seattle, Washington, US, as an extension of the existing Seattle Center Monorail. The 14 mi, 17 station Green Line running from Ballard to West Seattle via Seattle Center would have been the first of the five lines to be built.

From 1997 to 2005 the monorail project was a highly contentious political issue in the Seattle area. In November 2005, following the fifth voter initiative on the monorail in eight years, the monorail authority agreed to dissolve itself after having spent $124.7 million in taxpayer funds without beginning any monorail construction.

Initiative 41 and ETC
The effort to extend the monorail began in 1997 with Initiative 41, passed by a 53%–47% vote by Seattle citizens. The initiative proposed a 54 mi X-shaped monorail system extending the 0.96 mi line constructed for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. The system's construction and operation was to be carried out by a new agency, the Elevated Transportation Corporation (ETC), using private funding.

The ETC quickly determined that private entrepreneurs could not build a monorail system without public financial support, leading to a second monorail referendum placed before voters as Initiative 53 in 2000, which would allow the ETC to spend $6 million for additional studies to determine an improved monorail plan with full cost estimates and a funding package to pay for construction. I-53 passed 56% to 44% in 2000.

Five-line plan
By 2002, the ETC had developed the five-line system plan that came to be called the Seattle Monorail Project. This proposal was put before the voters as Citizens Petition #1 in November 2002 which would propose to dissolve the ETC, create a new monorail agency, construct the Green Line as the first part of the system, and enact an annual 1.4% motor-vehicle excise tax (MVET) on Seattle vehicles to fund the project.

The 2002 petition drew opposition from groups who advanced the following arguments:
 * Green Line ridership would not be significantly different from that already achieved by Metro buses
 * Building an elevated line with 7 ft deep concrete beams on Second Avenue in downtown would create a "wall" through the urban core
 * The monorail line should be built along the I-5 freeway corridor, among other complaints.

Reflecting the increased opposition, Citizens Petition #1 narrowly passed in November 2002 by just 877 votes, 50.2% to 49.7%. With the passage of CP-1, construction was scheduled to begin in autumn 2005, and be completed in 2009.

Just two years later in November 2004, a recall initiative, I-83, was put on the ballot seeking to halt the project by forcing the city to deny the monorail agency the right to use the air space above public city streets. This fourth initiative in seven years proved unpopular with Seattle voters however, and lost 64% to 36%.

Financial issues
The tax to fund the project began effective June 2003, and was levied annually on each car registered in the city based on the MSRP of the vehicle and a fixed depreciation table. In 2005, the average monorail tax per vehicle was $130 annually.

The project soon fell under intense public scrutiny, as actual revenue from the motor vehicle excise tax came in 30% under projections while projected costs rose by 10%. To bridge the shortfall, the SMP initially proposed extending the tax and bond repayments over a 50-year time horizon, resulting in nearly $9 billion in interest paid on the $2 billion construction cost. The plan to extend the tax proved highly controversial and five days later the SMP withdrew its financial plan and the director and board chairman resigned under pressure.

Loss of city support and closure
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels gave the board an ultimatum to create a new financial plan or lose city support for the project. A new plan was not developed, and on September 16, 2005, Nickels withdrew city support for the project. While the city of Seattle could not officially stop the project, it could withhold permission to build on or above city land, as had been proposed under I-83 a year earlier. Nickels also called on the Seattle Monorail Project to put a measure on the November 2005 ballot to determine whether or not to continue with the project, marking the fifth time Seattleites would vote on the issue. This measure shortened the initial phase of the Green Line to 10.6 mi with the remaining 3.4 mi to be added later, and the SMP said it would dissolve itself if the measure failed.

Proposition 1 was defeated, 65% to 35%, and in response the SMP reduced staff, terminated the annual motor vehicle excise tax on Seattle vehicles effective June 30, 2006 (three years after it was first implemented) and began liquidating properties already purchased for the Green Line.

The Seattle Monorail Authority was formally dissolved on January 17, 2008, after liquidating all of its assets, repaying its debts, and transferring its remaining $425,963.07 to the King County Metro system. The monorail project ultimately cost Seattle taxpayers $124.7 million.

Design
The plan, as proposed by CP-1 (2002) proposed five distinct corridors based on the Intermediate Capacity Transit Study and prioritized the Green Line, a north–south route on the west side of the city, as the first of the five to be built. The other four lines included two additional north–south routes, in the center (Blue) and east (Gold) sides of the city, and two east-west connectors, one just north of the Lake Washington Ship Canal (Purple) and the other near the southern city limits (Red). Two future extensions were proposed to the Green Line, one each on the north and south ends.

By 2004, more formal Second Phase plans were developed; the Blue line was cut back and did not cross the Duwamish, but the Red line was extended west to meet a new branch of the Blue line running south from Delridge. In addition, an alternative central north–south Rainbow corridor was added, running from downtown to the University District and continuing on to Northgate and Lake City, approximately following the route of I-5.

The agency considered using a proof-of-payment system for fares similar to the SkyTrain in Vancouver.

Green Line
The proposed Green Line ran mostly north-south from Ballard through Magnolia, Queen Anne, Seattle Center, Downtown, Pioneer Square, Chinatown-International District, then turned west and terminated into West Seattle.

Planned expansion
Future extensions on the Green Line could have taken it east (from the north terminus at Crown Hill) to Northgate and south (from the south terminus at Morgan Junction) to the Vashon Island Ferry Terminal. These were later designated the Pink North and South Corridors, approximately 6.1 and 1.6 mi, respectively.

Additional planned lines included:
 * Gold: north–south, connecting Lake City, UW, Capitol Hill, Chinatown-International District, and Downtown. Multiple alignments and phases were studied.
 * Alternative 1: 2nd & Madison to Montlake, 3.5 mi
 * Alternative 2: Chinatown–ID to Broadway & Roy, 2.0 mi
 * Alternative 3: Chinatown–ID to 23rd & Madison, 2.6 mi
 * Alternative 3A: Chinatown–ID to U-Village, 5.6 mi
 * Alternative 4: Chinatown–ID to Rainier, 4.2 mi
 * Alternative 5: Rainier Valley Center to Lake City, 11.6 mi
 * Alternative 5A: Rainier Valley Center to U-Village, 7.3 mi
 * Purple: east–west, connecting Shilshole and Magnuson Park
 * Purple Segment 1: Ballard to Children's Hospital, 4.5 to 5.3 mi
 * Purple Segment 2: Children's Hospital to Sandpoint, 2.3 mi
 * Blue: north–south, connecting Greenwood, Fremont, Downtown, SODO, South Park, and Georgetown
 * Blue North: Bitter Lake to downtown via Aurora
 * Blue South (4th): South Park to downtown
 * Blue South (Delridge): Westwood/Highland Park to Delridge (Green Line station)
 * Red: east–west, connecting South Park and the Rainier Valley (outside Seattle city limits; preliminary work only)
 * Rainbow: north–south, connecting downtown to the University District, with two potential extensions continuing on toward the north:
 * Extension 1: U-District to Northgate
 * Extension 2: U-District to Lake City

title: Seattle Monorail Project


text:
Chico Xavier

Chico Xavier or Francisco Cândido Xavier, born Francisco de Paula Cândido (, April 2, 1910 – June 30, 2002), was a popular Brazilian philanthropist and spiritist medium. During a period of 60 years he wrote over 490 books and several thousand letters claiming to use a process known as "psychography". Books based on old letters and manuscripts were published posthumously, bringing the total number of books to 496.

The books written by Chico covered a vast range of topics from religion, philosophy, historical romances and novels, Portuguese literature, poetry, and science, as well as thousands of letters intended to inform, console and uplift the families of deceased persons during his psychographic sessions. His books sold an estimated 50 million copies and the revenue generated by it was totally channeled into charity work.

Xavier was born in the city of Pedro Leopoldo, State of Minas Gerais and is popularly known as "Chico Xavier" (Chico is the Portuguese nickname for Francisco). Xavier called his spiritual guide Emmanuel, who according to Xavier, lived in ancient Rome as Senator Publius Lentulus, was reincarnated in Spain as Father Damien, and later as a professor at the Sorbonne.

He often mentioned he could not contact a deceased person unless the spirit was willing to be contacted. His appearances on TV talk shows in the late 1960s and early 1970s helped to establish Spiritism as one of the major religions professed in Brazil with more than 5 million followers. Despite his health problems he kept working up to his death, on June 30, 2002, in Uberaba. In 2010, a movie biography entitled Chico Xavier was released in Brazil. Directed by Daniel Filho, the film dramatized Xavier's life.

On October 3, 2012, the SBT television TV show O Maior Brasileiro de Todos os Tempos named Chico Xavier "The Greatest Brazilian of all time", based on a viewer-supported survey.

Xavier has been accused of fraud regarding his claimed abilities, with critics questioning the authenticity of his prolific psychographic output.

Childhood
Francisco was born to João Cândido Xavier, a lottery ticket vendor, and Maria João de Deus, a Catholic housewife. His mediumistic abilities, as recounted by biographers, manifested early, becoming apparent when he was just four years old. During a conversation his father had about pregnancy, Francisco began to articulate detailed scientific facts, claiming he could hear and see spirits. Tragically, he lost his mother at the age of five but maintained that he communicated with her spirit for several years afterward. This claim led many to regard him as mentally unstable for a significant part of his life.

His father remarried Cidália Batista, and she insisted that he bring together all nine of his children. At this time, Francisco was seven years old. The newly formed family expanded further, with the couple having six more children. Francisco was enrolled in public school, but it was during this period that he reported the cessation of communication with his mother's spirit. To contribute to his family's income, he started working at a very young age, selling vegetables they grew at home.

Francisco's alleged paranormal abilities frequently caused him difficulties at school and in church. In his fourth year of primary school, he claimed that a man dictated all his school essays, but this assertion went largely ignored, even by his teacher. He achieved a notable success with a school composition on the centenary of Brazil's independence, earning an honorable mention in a state contest. However, in 1922, he faced skepticism and accusations of plagiarism from colleagues and friends – allegations that would persist throughout his life. When challenged to demonstrate his abilities, Francisco impressively rose to the occasion. He was asked to improvise an essay on the spur of the moment about a grain of sand, with the assistance of a spirit. Despite the lack of preparation and the immediate nature of the challenge, he succeeded.

Cidália, Francisco's stepmother, approached him with an unusual request. She asked him to consult the spirit of his late mother regarding a pressing issue: the persistent theft of vegetables from her garden by a neighbor. Remarkably, the spirit's advice was to assign the responsibility of overseeing the kitchen garden to the neighbor herself. Implementing this strategy, they witnessed the mysterious disappearances of the vegetables come to an end.

However, this incident had an unforeseen consequence. Alarmed by the demonstration of Francisco's mediumistic abilities, his father made the drastic decision to have him hospitalized. This decision was fueled by a mix of fear and misunderstanding of Francisco's unique gift.

Father Scarzelli, a Catholic priest, took it upon himself to evaluate the young Francisco's situation. After careful consideration, he determined that hospitalization was an unnecessary measure, attributing the boy's experiences to mere "children's fantasy." Scarzelli's solution was straightforward: limit Francisco's access to certain books, which he believed were the root of these fantasies, and engage the boy in manual labor. Consequently, Francisco found himself employed in a textile factory, where he was subjected to a stringent routine and long working hours. This period of his life, marked by harsh discipline, had lasting effects that would follow him for years to come.

By 1924, Francisco completed his primary education but did not pursue further schooling. He embarked on a career as a sales clerk, enduring long, demanding hours. Despite his deep Catholic faith and numerous penances, not to mention the restrictions imposed by his confessor, Francisco continued to experience visions and communicate with spirits. These spiritual encounters persisted, undeterred by his devout religious practices and the constraints placed upon him.

Contact with Spiritism
In May 1927 his sister, Maria Xavier, was having mental disturbances, which many believed was caused by spiritual sources known as obsession (Spiritism). This episode allowed Francisco to support his sister with his mediumship capacities and introduced him to the Spiritism Doctrine as well. Simultaneously he allegedly received a new message from his mother in which she recommended him to accomplish all his duties and thoroughly study the books of Allan Kardec; In June; Francisco founded the Spiritist Center Luiz Gonzaga, in a wooden warehouse owned by his brother. In July, under the guidance of a so-called "benevolent spirit", he started to psychograph, writing seventeen pages.

Later, Xavier would claim that several deceased Poets had begun to manifest themselves through him, but they only started to identify themselves in 1931. In 1928, he published his first psychographic messages in the newspapers "O Jornal", from Rio de Janeiro, and Almanaque de Notícias, from Portugal.

First works
He became widely known in Brazil in 1931, when he published the book Parnassus Beyond the Tomb (pt:Parnaso de Além-Túmulo), which had 259 poems allegedly composed by 56 deceased Brazilian and Portuguese illustrious Poets.That year was marked by the medium's "adulthood" and when he firstly met his spiritual Mentor Emmanuel, "Under a tree, near a water reservoir..." (SOUTO MAIOR, 1995:31). According to Chico his Mentor informed about his mission to psychograph a sequence of thirty books and to achieve such a task he would require 3 mandatory conditions: "discipline, discipline and discipline". Emmanuel instructed him to be loyal to Jesus and Kardec, even if it was against his religious basis. Later on, the Medium found out that Emmanuel had been the Roman senator Publius Lentulus, further reborn as a slave who sympathized with Christianity, still in another reincarnation, had been a Jesuit priest Manuel da Nóbrega, involved with the gospel teachings during the colonial period of Brazil in the 18th century.

In 1932, the book Parnaso de Além-Túmulo, was then published by; Federação Espírita Brasileira (FEB). (Brazilian Spiritualist Federation) The compilation of poetry dictated by spirits of Brazilian and Portuguese poets achieved enormous impact in the Brazilian press and public opinion, and yet caused strong polemic among the ones involved with Brazilian literature, whose opinions were divided between recognition and accusations of pastiche. The impact increased even more when it was revealed that the books had been written by a "humble clerk" from a warehouse in the countryside of Minas Gerais (Brazilian state where the medium was born), who had barely finished primary school. It is said that the spirit of his mother advised him not to respond to the criticism.

The copyrights of all his books were kindly granted to FEB. At that period, he started a relationship with Manuel Quintão and Wantuil de Freitas. Still at the same period, an ocular cataract was found, problem which he had to live with for the rest of his life. The spirits and his mentors, Emmanuel and Bezerra de Menezes, instructed him to be treated with the resources of human medicine and told him not to count on any kind of privileges from the spirits.

He kept working as a clerk–typist at the model farm from the Regional Inspectorate of the Department of Livestock Development, He started to perform at Centro Espírita Luís Gonzaga in 1935, helping the ones in need with prescriptions, advice and producing psychographic books. The farm manager and agronomist Rômulo Joviano, also spiritist who attended all the seances at Centro Luiz Gonzaga, where he later became the president., besides giving Francisco a job, he also cooperated with the medium, by allowing him some free time to find the necessary peace to execute his psychographic works, It was in a period that Francisco was using the basement of Joviano's house to perform his psychographic works, when one of his most remarkable books, titled Paulo e Estevão (Paul and Stevan) came out. At the same time; a long refusal of gifts and honors started and lasted all his life, as an example: Fred Figner granted Francisco a huge amount of money in his will; which was promptly granted to FEB; by the medium.

As well as notoriety, the criticism from people who tried to discredit him strongly persisted. Chico Xavier said that also spiritual foes tried to involve him into negative fluids and temptations, apart from all living people,. Souto Maior (Brazilian journalist) reports an attempted of "lynching by spirits", as well as an episode which naked girls tried to seduce the medium in his bathtub. Note that; in both episodes there are common narrative aspects to the other proofs, commonly mentioned in stories of holiness.

Lawsuit from the widow of Humberto de Campos
During 1930, the publishing of the romances attributed to Emmanuel and the book Brasil, Coração do Mundo, Pátria do Evangelho, attributed to the spirit of Humberto de Campos were highlighted; in which the story of Brazil is interpreted in a mythical and theological way. As consequence; the last book mentioned here brought him a lawsuit from the widow of Humberto de Campos, who pleaded for the psychographed books copyrights, in case the legitimacy of the famous author from Maranhão (A state of Brazil) was proven.

The medium's defense was supported by FEB, further resulting in the classic A Psicografia Perante os Tribunais, (the psychography in the view of court) written by the lawyer Miguel Timponi. along the trial; the judge decided that books copyrights refer to books recognized while the author is alive; since it would be impossible for the court to prove the existence of mediunity. Even so; in order to avoid problems in the future, the spiritual writer's name was substituted by the nickname "Irmão X" (Brother X).

At that time, Francisco was hired by the federal public service, as a helper at Ministério da Agricultura (Ministry of Agriculture). It is important to highlight that; along his career as a public worker; there is no record of any absence from work.

Nosso Lar
In 1943, one of the most popular books in Brazilian spiritist literature was published, the novel titled Nosso Lar, the best seller and most disclosed from the medium's extensive psychographic writings; which became a movie of the same name in 2010.

This is the first book from a series whose authorship is attributed to the spirit of André Luis. During that time, the fame of Chico Xavier (Francisco's nickname) was increasing, more and more people looked for him in search of healing and messages, transforming the small town of Pedro Leopoldo into an informal center of pilgrimage. Francisco's former boss José Felizardo died very poor, the medium then, strived to get him a decent funeral; he went on around the town asking for donations; knocking on every one's door to collect money for the burial. According to Francisco's biographer Ubiratan Machado, "...even a blind homeless man donated the donations he had collected that day". (MACHADO, 1996:53).

The case Amauri Pena
In 1958, the Medium was involved in a controversial case due to the accusations coming from his nephew, Amauri Pena, son of Francisco's sister. The nephew was psychographic Medium and announced to the press to be a fraud, a very capable impostor, extending his declaration to his uncle Xavier. Chico denied any wrongdoing and any proximity or involvement with the nephew. Later remorseful by the damage he caused to his uncle's reputation he asked for forgiveness and dropping all the accusations he previously made. Amauri was then hospitalized in a mental hospital in São Paulo, where he eventually died at age 27.

The case Davi Nasser and Jean Manzon
In 1944 Journalists David Nasser and Jean Manzon made an unfriendly report of the Medium, which was published at "O Cruzeiro" magazine. The Reporters pretended to be foreigners using false names in order to test whether Chico was a fraud; Later when Nasser and Manzon arrived home after the interview, they were surprised to look in books Xavier had given them as gifts, as reported by Nasser in an interview with TV Cultura in 1980: "At dawn, Manzon called me and said, 'Have you seen the book that Chico Xavier gave to us?'. I said no. 'Well, you see,' he said. I was in my library, I picked up the book and written there was this: 'To my brother David Nasser, Emmanuel'. He had made a similar dedication to Manzon. It is things like that make me very afraid to get involved in Spiritism issues."

Partnership with Waldo Vieira
At that time, Chico Xavier met the young student of Medicine and medium Waldo Vieira; together they psychographed several books; until their abruption some years later. In 1959, Francisco moved to Uberaba, where he lived until the end of his days. He continued psychographing several books, approaching topics that were priority in the 60's; such as, sex, drugs, youth issues, technology, space travels among others. Uberaba then, became an informal center of pilgrimage, with thousands of people arriving every day; people hoping to make contact with deceased relatives. At that time; books of "messages" became popular; letters dictated by spirits of regular people to their family members; proceeding as well with constant campaigns of food and clothing distribution to the poor people around the town.

On May 22, 1965; Chico Xavier and Waldo Vieira travelled to the US in order to disclose spiritism abroad; with the help of Salim Salomão Haddad, president of Christian Spirit Center, and his wife Phillis, they studied English and launched the book titled The World of The Spirits (Ideal Espírita; Portuguese version).

Interviews on the television show Pinga-Fogo
In the beginning of 1970; Chico took part on the popular nationwide interview TV program called "Pinga Fogo" (Dripping Fire) which reached extremely high levels of audience throughout the country.

In his first appearance on the program Pinga-Fogo, journalist and philosopher João de Scantimburgo focused on the authenticity of Xavier's psychographic writing. João de Scantimburgo expressed skepticism about Xavier's prolific output and his ability to convincingly mimic the styles of diverse authors like Humberto de Campos and Guerra Junqueiro. He suggested that Xavier's subconscious, rather than spirits, might be responsible for these literary feats. Xavier, demonstrating his characteristic humility and politeness, countered this by maintaining that he serves merely as a channel for spirit authors, emphasizing that they dictate the content while he transcribes it. He acknowledged potential unconscious influences but credited his spirit guide, Emmanuel, for stylistic guidance and refinement. The conversation also touched upon the possibility of historical Catholic saints, such as St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Clare of Montefalco, possessing mediumnistic abilities.

The 1980s and '90s
At that time, his fame extended to other parts of the world, with several books translated into other languages, as well as adaptations for soap operas versions. By the end of 1990, the medium had already psychographed more than four hundreds books. At that time; it was estimated that approximately fifty millions of spiritist books were circulating in Brazil, from which; fifteen million of them were attributed to Chico Xavier and twelve millions to Kardec (SANTOS, 1997:89).

In 1994, the American tabloid National Examiner published an article saying, "Ghost writers make novelist a millionaire" The article was vaunted in Brazil by the extinct news magazine; revista Manchete, titled as Secretary of Ghosts, where it said that, according to National Examiner information; the Brazilian medium had made twenty million dollars as a "Secretary of Ghosts". Manchete magazine proceeded saying: "According to the newspapers, he is the first one to have admitted that the 380 books he had produced were by 'ghost-writers', "literally ghosts'", concluding that; Chico simply transcribes psychographed books through more than 500 deceased and buried writers and poets.

The medium; did not respond to the attacks, but FEB, publisher of most of Chico's books; through its then president Juvanir Borges de Souza sent a letter to the magazine; informing them that; all copyrights and remuneration from Francisco Cândido Xavier's books had been granted to charity; and that the same procedure was being performed with other publishers as well, yet; emphasizing that "the copyrights are granted absolutely for free, in order to make the books affordable enough, and as well contribute to the disclosure of the Spiritist Doctrine".

The same president of FEB, on October 4 of the same year; during the first Worldwide Spiritist Congress, presented a "vote of recognition and appreciation to the medium Francisco Cândido Xavier", approved by the FEB National Federative Council, under a proposal presented by the president of Federação Espírita do Estado de Sergipe. (Spiritist Federation from the state of Sergipe) In the document; the entities representing the spiritism in Brazil devoted their gratitude and respect for the medium "for his intense and extended works, for the example of life dedicated to studies and fraternity, disclosure and practices of spiritism, for the spiritual and material guidelines, assistance and help to the neighbor".

Death
Chico Xavier passed away from cardiorespiratory arrest on June 30, 2002, at the venerable age of 92. His friends and family shared that Chico had expressed a unique wish to God regarding the timing of his death. He hoped to pass away on a day when the people of Brazil were immersed in happiness and national celebration, believing that this would lessen the sadness of his departure. Remarkably, his passing coincided with a significant national event: it occurred on the very day Brazil celebrated its victory in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Chico Xavier's death took place approximately nine hours after the final match between Brazil and Germany, aligning poignantly with his wish.

Tributes
In 1981, appointed for the Nobel Peace Prize, when his name gathered 2 million signatures for submission. However, The Nobel Peace Prize 1981 was awarded to Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In 1999, the Government of the State of Minas Gerais established the "Commendation of Peace Chico Xavier", award which is annually awarded to individuals or legal entities who work for peace and social well-being.

In 2000, Chico was elected the "Mineiro" from the 20th century, ("Mineiro" is the name given to people born in the state of Minas Gerais; Brazil) followed by Alberto Santos-Dumont (founder of the aviation in Brazil) and Juscelino Kubitschek (President of Brazil 1956 – 1961 and founder of Brasilia); in a contest performed by Rede Globo Minas, (Rede Globo Minas; TV station from the state of Minas Gerais) with 704.030 votes. After Chico Xavier died, the house where he lived between 1948 and 1959 and the house he lived in between 1959 and 2002 were transformed into non-profit museums in reference to his life and work; and the interior of Pedro Leopoldo's Modelo Farm, where he worked as a typist between 1930 and the late 1950s, was also transformed into a memorial in his honor.

In 2006, he was elected the "History's greatest Brazilian", in a contest performed by Época magazine.

In 2009, the Brazilian Government gave the name "Chico Xavier" for a passage of an important highway of the country, BR-050.

In 2010, his centenary has been marked by numerous celebrations in Brazil, like two feature films and a special postage stamp.

The city of Uberaba (Town where Chico lived) recently started the construction of a memorial in his honor.

In 2012, on the TV show "O Maior Brasileiro de Todos os Tempos" (The greatest Brazilian of all times), broadcast by SBT (Brazilian Television Channel), he was elected by popular votes, as one of the 12 greatest Brazilian citizens of all times; this way; he went on to the next step (02/08/2012), disputing against Irmã Dulce (catholic nun) on a knockout stage, he was elected by 50.5% of the votes. On the semifinal of the program he disputed against Ayrton Senna, (Brazilian Formula 1 racer) receiving 63.8% of the votes. At the end of the program, Chico competed against Alberto Santos-Dumont (founder of the aviation in Brazil) and Princess Isabel (responsible for the abolition of slavery in Brazil); but, he had been the one elected to become "the greatest Brazilian of all times" with 71.4% of the votes.

In 2016, the Chico Xavier Memorial was inaugurated in Uberaba, built in collaboration between the Chico Xavier Institute and the city hall.

On October 29, 2020, a life-size bronze statue of Xavier was inaugurated at Praça Rui Barbosa, in Uberaba. It was made by visual artist Vânia Braga.

Through Law 14.201 of 2021, Francisco Candido Xavier had his name inscribed in Livro dos Heróis e Heroínas da Pátria (the Book of Heroes and Heroines of the Fatherland), a document that preserves the names of figures who marked the history of Brazil and is found in the Tancredo Neves Pantheon of the Fatherland and Freedom, in Brasilia.

Biographic movie
In April 2010, date which Chico Xavier would turn 100 years old, the film "Chico Xavier" was released. It is based on the biography titled "As Vidas de Chico Xavier" (The lives of Chico Xavier), by journalist Marcel Souto Maior, and it was directed and produced by filmmaker Daniel Filho. Chico Xavier is portrayed by actors Matheus Costa, Ângelo Antônio and Nelson Xavier, respectively during three phases of his life: from 1918 to 1922, 1931 to 1959 and 1969 to 1975.

Skeptical reception
In 2010, Kentaro Mori published an article in the Skeptical Inquirer which accused Xavier of fraud. According to Mori, Xavier's close associate Waldo Vieira stated that the staff at Xavier's Spiritist Center in Brazil would help him by gathering information about his clients and faking psychic letters. He was also accused of using perfume in the séance room which was a common Spiritualist trick to pretend the scent was of supernatural origin. Xavier was associated with the spritist medium Otília Diogo, who fraudulently pretended to be a spirit by covering herself in white sheets, with a photo of Xavier and a sheeted Diogo being taken in 1964. The skeptic Karen Stollznow has also accused Xavier of hot reading.

Psychographic works

Chico Xavier wrote most of 450 allegedly psychographic books. He never admitted to be the author of any of his books. He affirmed he would only reproduce whatever the spirits dictated to him. Being the reason for why he would never accept the money attained from selling his books. He sold more than 50 million copies in Portuguese; with translations in English, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto, French, German, Italian, Russian, Romanian, Mandarin, Swedish, Braille, and other languages. He also transcribed around ten thousand letters allegedly from the dead to their families. The letters were declared legitimate by many people, and some of the letters were used as evidence in four criminal trials. Chico Xavier granted all the copyrights to charity institution since the first book.

His works are published by Centro Espírita União, Casa Editora O Clarim, Edicel, Federação Espírita Brasileira, Federação Espírita do Estado de São Paulo, Federação Espírita do Rio Grande do Sul, Fundação Marieta Gaio, Grupo Espírita Emmanuel s/c Editora, Comunhão Espírita Cristã, Instituto de Difusão Espírita, Instituto de Divulgação Espírita André Luiz, Livraria Allan Kardec Editora, Editora Pensamento, Editora Vinha de Luz and União Espírita Mineira. Even though he hadn't finished primary high school, he would write around six books a year, among romances, tales, philosophy, rehearsals, apologues, chronics, poems, etc. He is the most read author from Latin America (note: year of 2010).

His first books, Parnaso de Além-Túmulo, containing 256 poems attributed to deceased poets, among them, two being the Portuguese João de Deus, Antero de Quental and Guerra Junqueiro and the Brazilians Olavo Bilac, Cruz e Sousa and Augusto dos Anjos, was published for the first time in 1932; the book caused strong admiration and controversy among the literary circle from that time. Among other books, Nosso Lar was the one with the largest circulation, it was first published in 1944, which sold more than two million copies, attributed to the spirit of André Luiz, it was the first volume out of a collection composed by seventeen books, all of them psychographed by Chico Xavier, some of them in partnership with medium Doctor Waldo Vieira.

Through the decades, Chico produced thousands of psychographed letters for desperate parents and mothers who came to him in order to receive messages from their deceased sons and daughters. According to a survey from 1990, performed by the Spiritist Medical Association of São Paulo, the letters always contained much informations that was somehow familiar to the readers for whom the letters were intended, and 35 per cent of them carried an identical signature to the signature of the deceased.

One electroencephalogram study conducted during a mediumnistic trance by Dr. Elias Barbosa, Chico Xavier's family doctor, was reported by "Revista Planeta", a popular news magazine, in June 1973. It was suggested that Chico presented common characteristics of epilepsy, even though he was never epileptic, with claims that his brain activity was somehow "paranormal". Many years later, in February 2010, Dr. Guilherme Gustavo Riccioppo Rodrigues reviewed Barbosa's EEG study and found "no evidence to suggest clinical abnormality, let alone to support the idea that his brain is paranormal".

title: Chico Xavier


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James O'Barr

James O'Barr (born January 1, 1960) is an American comics artist, writer and graphic artist, best known as the creator of the comic book series The Crow.

Early life
O'Barr, an orphan, was raised in the foster care system.

Career
At 18, O'Barr enlisted in the Marines. While stationed in Germany, he illustrated combat manuals for the U.S. military.

Before entering the Marines, O'Barr's fiancée, Beverly, had been killed by a drunk driver. While living in Berlin in ‘81, O'Barr began to work on his comic, The Crow as a means of dealing with his personal tragedy. O'Barr was further inspired by a Detroit newspaper account of the murder of a young couple over a $20 engagement ring. In The Crow, the protagonist, Eric, and his fiancée, Shelly, are murdered by a gang of criminals. Eric then returns from the dead, guided by a supernatural crow, to hunt their killers.

After his discharge from the Marines, O'Barr continued to paint, illustrate, and worked various different jobs such as auto collision repair in Detroit, MI. The Crow was eventually published in association with Gary Reed of Caliber Press. The first miniseries was published in '89. The Crow has since sold more than 750,000 copies worldwide.

O'Barr's own hope that his project would result in a personal catharsis went unfulfilled. During an interview in 1994, he said, "[A]s I drew each page, it made me more self-destructive, if anything... There is pure anger on each page".

In the 1990s O'Barr was affiliated with the experimental metal band Trust Obey, which was signed briefly to Trent Reznor's Nothing label. Trust Obey released the album Fear and Bullets: Music to Accompany The Crow in 1993. The album was packaged with a special edition of The Crow graphic novel.

The Crow was adapted into a successful film of the same name in 1994, which was marred by the tragic death of its star, Brandon Lee, during filming. The film went on to spawn three sequels and a television series.

After the success of The Crow film, O'Barr began planning an apocalyptic graphic novel series entitled Gothik. The series was based on The Wizard of Oz and featured "Jonny Z" from his short story "Frame 137" as the main character.

In January 2013 Motionworks Entertainment released O'Barr's western comic, Sundown, which served as their debut motion comic for iPhone and iPad. He also announced his work on a comic about the Korean War, centered on the efforts of three US Marine guncrews to hold Fox Hill during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, with a different artist drawing each gun crew.

In 2013, O'Barr was named as a consultant on a possible reboot of The Crow film franchise. Although previously opposed to the project, in an October 2014 interview, O'Barr spoke about his involvement in the reboot of The Crow. He discussed the approach to the adaptation and efforts being made to respect the original film. Later, in November 2014, O'Barr appeared at the Wizard World Tulsa Comic Con and stated that he was co-writing the script with screenwriter Cliff Dorfman.

Personal life
As of the mid-2000s, O'Barr resided in Dallas.

title: James O'Barr


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User talk:T Garth

Photo's of Traverse City
I am completly new to this so I have no idea if I'm doing it right. I live here in Traverse City and have some photos if you want. Somebody will just have to tell me how to friggen do it!

title: User talk:T Garth