Susan Boyle - Hallelujah

Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist: Never Give Up Your Dream

Paulo Coelho is an internationally famed author, mainly because of his 1987 book, The Alchemist, which has sold over 150 million copies and had a 315 week run on the New York Times best seller list. That is over six continuous years as a best seller.

The Alchemist tells a tale that became almost autobiographical for Coelho: that of a young shepherd boy on a quest for what would become the most valued thing in his life. In Coelho’s case, his personal  quest was to become a writer. From the time Coelho was a young boy in his native land of Brazil; his dream was to become a writer, even though it was scoffed at by others. Writing was his dream. In The Alchemist, Coelho wrote “When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you”, and those words inspired him to not give up when the first publication of The Alchemist flopped.

If Coelho had listened to the first publisher who decided the book was not worthwhile after the first printing sold less than a dozen copies, or if he had listened to his mother who questioned the logic of becoming a writer, there would have been no Internationally renowned Paulo Coelho, and no The Alchemist, which has won over one hundred awards. There would have been no time spent on the New York Times best seller list, I would not be writing about Paulo Coelho.

The lesson learned is to never give up on your dream.

Sara Niles

Republican Party Holds American Government Hostage

The power struggle between the Democratic and Republican parties of American government are preventing our government from operating the way it was designed to, as a Government for the People and By the People. 

The growing power of the Republican Party is converting the GOP into a ruling despot that sits in government attempting to rule behind the scenes, by the use of delaying strategies, blocking of presidential actions, and obstructing the business of government. The GOP uses propaganda as a blind in an attempt to prevent the American People from seeing the true motivation behind Republican Power Plays, the need for more and more control, with the ultimate agenda of protecting the money of The Rich, not the interests of The People. The GOP threatens to undermine the basic premise of the American Constitution, the need to protect the government from being overtaken by power mongers, by keeping a healthy Checks and Balances system in place. The balance of the system is being placed at risk with each new power –play by the GOP.

The death of Supreme Court Justice, Antonin Scalia, has left the nation’s highest court, The Supreme Court,  crippled until a replacement is made. The usual process involves a presidential appointment as a replacement; however, just hours after his death the Republican spoke as one promising to   block any Obama Supreme Court Justice nomination

In order to make such a ridiculous and childish statement, the basis of that reasoning would have to be rooted in two things:

• Deliberate obstruction preventing a duly elected president from performing his duty
• Deliberate attempt to gain ‘Conservative’ (Republican) Power in the Supreme Court of the United States for the furtherance of a  GOP political agenda

The seriously dangerous actions of the GOP, once simplified amounts to ‘Holding the American Government Hostage’ in an attempt to gain more power; even more serious is the basis of the GOP’s need for more power.  The focus of the Grand Old Party has become singularly focused on one goal, that is, to protect the Money and Power of the Rich and Super-rich to the detriment of the common people. 

The smooth operation of a Democratic Government protects everyone, rich and poor equally, for the United States government is a government For the People and By the People…and it is at risk each time the Republicans operate as a team against a team, instead of united front devoted to keeping the checks and balances operational in a Healthy American Democracy.

Regardless of political agendas, the American Government is still based on "We the People".

Sara Niles

Domestic Violence: Living in Fear | NPT Reports

Guitar Talent

Domestic War: More domestic violence homicides in America than war casualties

"The number of American troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2012 was 6,488. The number of American women who were murdered by current or ex male partners during that time was 11,766. That's nearly double the amount of casualties lost during war. "
Quoted from The Huffington Post

What is the Relationship Between Mental Illness and Mass Killings

What is the Relationship Between Mental Illness and Mass Killings,  by Sara Niles

Mental Illness has been either a recognized or implied component of many of the recent mass killings, leading to the question: What can be done to avert such tragedies from a mental health point of view?

It is important to first recognize the fact just as the majority of mentally healthy people do not commit mass murder, the majority of mentally ill people do not commit mass murder. Whether the individual is mentally ill or mentally healthy, the act of killing strangers is a rare phenomenon in society and affects a small subgroup of people. In the case of mentally ill individuals acting upon delusions, and out of unhealthy obsessions, what can be done to stop them before they kill?

Were there red flags in the killers behavior, and if so, who saw those signs? What could be done to stop them?

Patrick Kennedy speaks about the need to recognize signs of mental illness and to provide comprehensive and early intervention before disaster strikes. One of the reasons society is slow to recognize the serious need for mental health treatment, is society still hides behind the denial that is an offshoot of the stigma of mental illness. Mental Illness is like the White Elephant in the middle of the room, hiding in plain sight while everyone ignores the problem. In order to provide early diagnoses and treatment, there needs to be a more accessible health plan in place, and the stigma of mental illness needs to be removed. Mental Illness needs to be talked about as openly as cancer awareness, and the relatives and friends of those suffering from mental illness need to be able to recognize signs of mental illness.

In the cases of the small percentage of the mentally ill who are capable of extreme violence, there must be individuals willing to support them when it is needed, and to report them when it is essential to public safety. The key element of civil commitment of the mentally ill is to recognize when they are a " Danger to Self or Others', which is a guideline in all fifty states. Although civil commitment is not always and option for relatives and friends, there should be a legal option to report potentially lethal behavior, such as using social media to advertise violent plots.

Mental health professionals treating potentially deadly clients were not under legal obligation to warn others until the 1976 landmark case of Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, in which a  patient told his psychotherapist he intended to kill a a woman: two months later the patient stabbed the woman to death and the parents sued. The Supreme Court decision resulted in the nationally adopted 'Duty to Warn' rule that applies to all mental health professionals, which was expanded to include warning third parties when the threat is specific in the case of Family Reported Threats

Someone almost always knows about even a 'loners' strange behavior and there needs to be a reporting method that will result in the individual being assessed and monitored, even in cases in which mandatory treatment is not an option. In cases in which violence has been threatened, there needs to be legislation in place that will allow for weapons screening.


Although many mental health advocates deny there is any connection between mass killing and mental health issues, The Treatment Advocacy Center released data from a study covering 30 killings over a 50 year period, that confirms mental illness as an element in the mass murders.

Out of the 30 perpetrators, the Mental Illness Treatment Advocacy Center stated

“Twelve perpetrators had psychotic symptoms at the time of the killings and another 8 individuals “exhibited behavior suggestive of psychosis;” thus 20 of the 30 perpetrators (67%) had definite or probable psychosis” 

 One of the worst mass killings of this century was the Sandy Hook Elementary school killing in which twenty year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother, 20 elementary school children, before killing himself. It does not require a mental health assessment to determine Lanza was not only mentally ill, but Violent and Mentally ILL. The facts uncovered a very troubled teen, isolated, anorexic, and in contact with a 'mirco-society of mass murderers' via the internet. Lanza fueled his sick mind with the unhealthy communication from other sick and violent minds. Lanza evolved into an obsessed mass murderer with access to resources, guns and ammunition.

Someone knew about Lanza's mental instability and his potential for violence long before  The Sandy Hook Killings happened, even if that someone was only Lanza's mother. Lanza should have been committed for forced treatment and assessed as either 'safe' to release into society or unsafe. There should be better assessment tools, better legal alternatives to civil commitment and better reporting channels, and better support for families dealing with seriously disturbed family members.

Legislation must address the gaps in mental health treatment for the general population and the identification of the small subgroup capable of violence against others. The general population of the mentally ill are not responsible for violent act against society, and should be exempted from the strict controls needed to weed out the Lethally Mentally Ill, such as Adam Lanza.