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Astronaut Edgar Mitchell Claims Alien Cover-up

Dr. Edgar Mitchell is a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission and he was the sixth man to walk on the Moon. Dr. Mitchell also insists that aliens have visited Earth and that governments are actively covering it up. "I happen to have been privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited on this planet and the UFO phenomena is real," Dr Mitchell said. "It's been well covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so, but slowly it's leaked out and some of us have been privileged to have been briefed on some of it. "I've been in military and intelligence circles, who know that beneath the surface of what has been public knowledge, yes - we have been visited. Reading the papers recently, it's been happening quite a bit." Dr Mitchell, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering and a Doctor of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics claimed Roswell was real and similar alien visits continue to be investigated. He told the astonished Kerrang! radio host Nick Margerrison: "This is really starting to open up. I think we're headed for real disclosure and some serious organisations are moving in that direction." NASA issued a quick denial. In a statement, a spokesman said: "NASA does not track UFOs. NASA is not involved in any sort of cover up about alien life on this planet or anywhere in the universe. "Dr Mitchell is a great American, but we do not share his opinions on this issue." If Dr. Mitchell is correct about a cover-up than this is exactly the type of denial one would expect NASA to make. You can listen to the interview with Dr. Mitchell where he discusses the UFO phenomena here. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

One In Five Bariatric Surgery Candidates Not Psychologically Cleared For Surgery

16.10.2007 08:21 Science - Source: ScienceDaily Headlines

Science Daily — A new study by Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University researchers reported that 18 percent of 500 candidates for bariatric surgery did not receive the initial psychiatric clearance for the surgery. The study is the first to examine the reliability of decisions to clear candidates for surgery, and the largest to determine the percentage of candidates who are not cleared and detail the reasons for exclusion.

Findings indicate the most common reasons for not receiving psychiatric clearance were frequent overeating to cope with stress/emotional distress, a current eating disorder and uncontrolled psychiatric disorders. Researchers also found that the decision to clear candidates for bariatric surgery is made with high reliability, meaning independent reviews of available information by independent psychiatrists will result in the same decision.

Most bariatric surgery programs include psychiatric evaluations as part of the pre-operative screening procedure. Some of the psychological factors considered important in determining appropriate surgical candidates include the presence of eating, mood psychotic, personality and substance abuse disorders; eating to regulate negative affect (using food as a method to cope with psychological stress); history of noncompliance with treatment; and inappropriate expectations of life change due to surgery.

Lead author Mark Zimmerman, MD, director of outpatient psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital and associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, emphasized, "The goal of the psychiatric evaluation is not to keep patients from having the surgery. Rather, the goal is to determine if there are any problems that might interfere with the success of surgery, and have the patient get treatment for these problems." Zimmerman continues, "In so doing, the patient is more likely to have a positive outcome from surgery that is delayed to allow time to address the problems."

Caren Francione, a post-doctoral fellow and co-author of the report, noted that they have conducted a follow-up study of the patients who were initially screened out from having the surgery. Preliminary analysis of the data found that most of these patients followed the psychiatrists' recommendation to have counseling before surgery and subsequently went on to have surgery.

The report is from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) Project, for which Zimmerman is the principal investigator. Zimmerman said, "The MIDAS project is unique in its integration of research quality diagnostic methods into a community-based outpatient practice affiliated with an academic medical center."

This research was published in the October edition of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Note: This story has been adapted from material provided by Lifespan.