ALL THAT SWAGGER BY: Miles Franklin!

The novel's hero, Irish immigrant Danny Delacy, is modelled upon Miles Franklin's paternal grandfather, Joseph Franklin, and the exploits and adventures of four generations of Delacys on the land around the headwaters of the Murrumbidgee River follow roughly the fortunes of the Franklin family from 1833 to 1933. 'Fearless Danny's' story begins in 1833 by the Shannon in County Clare when he and his Johanna elope and take ship for the Antipodes. In Sydney, discovering that land grants had ceased in 1831, Danny sets out as a hired man for Bandalong, one of the most remote stations, far beyond the already-populated Goulburn plains, past Lake George, Gounderu (Gundaroo) and the Limestone Plains. Always the mountains further south beckon Danny 'as the Lorelei', so after a spell of hired labour to accumulate fifty head of cattle and a dozen horses he finally makes his way to a valley that the Aborigines call Burrabinga. As the seasons pass, the station, Burrabinga, is carved out of virgin land and Johanna produces sons and daughters who go to school in Sydney and become the second Delacy generation. Significant Australian events dot the narrative, conveying a sense of historical continuity - the gold rushes, the Robertson and Duffy Land Acts, free selection, self-government, the Boer War. From its cohesive opening the narrative falls away (especially after the first generation) into a discursive series of episodes and events, broken only by the favourite Miles Franklin device of 'possuming' or yarning - meandering, conversational reflections on the rapidly changing scene. Generations merge, each leaving its imprint on the others. Themes become interwoven, the focus of attention shifting easily from one to another. The novel's canvas becomes crowded with more and more participants as the century gradually moves to its ending in the modern day (1933) when the fourth generation Brian Delacy, aviator, lifting his plane into the Murrumbidgee sky, glimpses in his mind's eye 'the spectral forms of bullock transport and receding Delacys moving against ancient unfamiliar apparitions on the palimpsest of Time'.


(Diva's House of Literary Coffee Blog) *This book is a must read! It shows how generations can be caught up in living life that's much more full of this is and that than what their parents had.  Note the characers in each generation as they move away the normal way of life into and into a life of having more and being more.  Get this book today and see why we here at Diva's House of Literary Coffee really love this story.*



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First man ‘functionally cured’ of HIV

(The Lookout-Y News Blog) Since the HIV virus was discovered 30 years ago this week, 30 million people have died from the disease, and it continues to spread at the rate of 7,000 people per day globally, the UN says.

There's not much good news when it comes to this devastating disease. But that is perhaps why the story of the man scientists call the "Berlin patient" is so remarkable and has generated so much excitement among the HIV advocacy community.

Timothy Ray Brown suffered from both leukemia and HIV when he received a bone marrow stem cell transplant in Berlin, Germany in 2007. The transplant came from a man who was immune to HIV, which scientists say about 1 percent of Caucasians are. (According to San Francisco's CBS affiliate, the trait may be passed down from ancestors who became immune to the plague centuries ago.)

What happened next has stunned the dozens of scientists who are closely monitoring Brown: His HIV went away.

"He has no replicating virus and he isn't taking any medication. And he will now probably never have any problems with HIV," his doctor Gero Huetter told Reuters. Brown now lives in the Bay Area, and suffers from some mild neurological difficulties after the operation. "It makes me very happy," he says of the incredible cure.

The development of anti-retroviral drugs in the 1990s was the first sign of hope in the epidemic, transforming the disease from a sudden killer to a more manageable illness that could be lived with for decades. But still, the miraculous cocktail of drugs is expensive, costing $13 billion a year in developing countries alone, according to Reuters. That figure is expected to triple in 20 years--raising the worry that more sick people will not be able to afford treatment.

Although Brown's story is remarkable, scientists were quick to point out that bone marrow transplants can be fatal, and there's no way Brown's treatment could be applied to the 33.3 million people around the world living with HIV. The discovery does encourage "cure research," according to Dr. Jay Levy, who co-discovered HIV thirty years ago, something that many people did not even think was possible years ago.

*This is great to hear! However many of the people that have HIV will not have a chance like this guy. Taking care of yourself is key when infected with HIV. Always know what's going on with your health even if it's a little cough.  Also keeping up with modern medicine and technology doesn't hurt, as it could help you and your status. 

All in all stay protected and take care of yourself.*


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HOT HOT HOT!! MILK AND HONEY BY: Goapele!

Goapele: Milk & Honey from goapele on Vimeo.


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‘Dark Girls’ Share Their Misery in America (Video)

(J.C. Brooks for www.eurthisnthat.com) There has always been a racial bias between dark women and light or white women. Hell! The racial playground of America has always pitted white against black.  But, when it comes to the women or shall I say mothers, something totally different happens.  The bias in America of course leans toward white women or what reminds America of white women…light women.  And if we’re going to have an honest conversation about this dilemma, there is a documentary waiting for you.

“Dark Girls” is a documentary directed by the legendary Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry, that touches the heart of, not just dark women, but the country that built the perception that dark African American women had nothing to offer in their wombs.  A dark woman in the documentary talked about how hurtful it was when her close girlfriend had a baby and she came to see her and the friend said, “I’m so glad she didn’t come out dark!”  Self-hate. Self-hate shared with a friend that is a dark woman, who wants someone to celebrate her darkness not look at it as a curse and thought that was understood.  But self-hatred is blinding and bold and debilitating to everything it touches.

There are numerous stories in the documentary that will hopefully educate everyone, of all races. It shows a much deeper perspective; the penetrating effects of dark women being hurt at home.  It tells the story beyond the black men that only want to be with the light woman or (for those who don’t mind bringing her home) the white woman. It tells the story of dark women who weren’t celebrated by their own mothers.  The self-hatred these women experienced is profound and their eyes tell thousands of stories from around the world that their mouths could never speak.

This documentary will finally say what Spike Lee attempted time and time again to expose in 1988′s ground-breaking “School Daze” and his instrumental 1991 film, “Jungle Fever.”  Watch for the movie in Fall/Winter 2011.  Check out this monumental piece here and prepare to finally have the conversation.





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Sean Kingston still critical after weekend crash

(AP) A publicist for Sean Kingston is offering the latest on the hip-hop singer who's been hospitalized since crashing his watercraft into a Miami Beach bridge over the weekend.

Joseph Carozza said Tuesday that Kingston remains in critical but stable condition. He says the singer's family is asking for privacy while acknowledging how grateful they are for the prayers and support from Kingston's fans.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Jorge Pino says the 21-year-old singer and a female passenger were injured Sunday afternoon when their watercraft hit the Palm Island Bridge.
Both were hospitalized at Ryder Trauma Center in Miami.

A number of hip-hop musicians were in Miami Beach over Memorial Day weekend for Urban Beach Week.


*Diva's Nation thoughts and prayers are with Sean Kingston and his family. We hope and pray that he pulls through and keep bringing us wonderful music.*


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HOT NEW SONG BY: Marsha Ambrosius!

This Diva from the group floetry has it going on. Check out the song; Hope She Cheats On You (With A Basketball Player)!

This is a hot record!




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Preacher says world will actually end in October!

(AP) A California preacher who foretold of the world's end only to see the appointed day pass with no extraordinarily cataclysmic event has revised his apocalyptic prophecy, saying he was off by five months and the Earth actually will be obliterated on Oct. 21.

Harold Camping, who predicted that 200 million Christians would be taken to heaven Saturday before catastrophe struck the planet, apologized Monday evening for not having the dates "worked out as accurately as I could have."

He spoke to the media at the Oakland headquarters of his Family Radio International, which spent millions of dollars_ some of it from donations made by followers — on more than 5,000 billboards and 20 RVs plastered with the Judgment Day message.

It was not the first time Camping was forced to explain when his prediction didn't come to pass. The 89-year-old retired civil engineer also prophesied the Apocalypse would come in 1994, but said later that didn't happen then because of a mathematical error.

Through chatting with a friend over what he acknowledged was a very difficult weekend, it dawned on him that instead of the biblical Rapture in which the faithful would be swept up to the heavens, May 21 had instead been a "spiritual" Judgment Day, which places the entire world under Christ's judgment, he said.

The globe will be completely destroyed in five months, he said, when the apocalypse comes. But because God's judgment and salvation were completed on Saturday, there's no point in continuing to warn people about it, so his network will now just play Christian music and programs until the final end on Oct. 21.

"We've always said May 21 was the day, but we didn't understand altogether the spiritual meaning," he said. "The fact is there is only one kind of people who will ascend into heaven ... if God has saved them they're going to be caught up."

Josh Ocasion, who works the teleprompter during Camping's live broadcasts in the group's threadbare studio sandwiched between an auto shop and a palm reader's business, said he enjoyed the production work but never fully believed the May 21 prophecy would come true.

"I thought he would show some more human decency in admitting he made a mistake," he said Monday. "We didn't really see that."

Follower Jeff Hopkins said he spent a good deal of his own retirement savings on gas money to power his car so people would see its ominous lighted sign showcasing Camping's May 21 warning. As the appointed day drew nearer, Hopkins started making the 100-mile round trip from Long Island to New York City twice a day, spending at least $15 on gas each trip.

"I've been mocked and scoffed and cursed at and I've been through a lot with this lighted sign on top of my car," said Hopkins, 52, a former television producer who lives in Great River, NY. "I was doing what I've been instructed to do through the Bible, but now I've been stymied. It's like getting slapped in the face."

Camping's hands shook slightly as he pinned his microphone to his lapel, and as he clutched a worn Bible he spoke in a quivery monotone about some listeners' earthly concerns after giving away possessions in expectation of the Rapture.

Family Radio would never tell anyone what they should do with their belongings, and those who had fewer would cope, Camping said.

"We're not in the business of financial advice," he said. "We're in the business of telling people there's someone who you can maybe talk to, maybe pray to, and that's God."

But he also said that he wouldn't give away all his possessions ahead of Oct 21.

"I still have to live in a house, I still have to drive a car," he said. "What would be the value of that? If it is Judgment Day why would I give it away?"

Apocalyptic thinking has always been part of American religious life and popular culture. Teachings about the end of the world vary dramatically — even within faith traditions — about how they will occur.
Still, the overwhelming majority of Christians reject the idea that the exact date or time of Jesus' return can be predicted.
 
Tim LaHaye, co-author of the best-selling "Left Behind" novels about the end times, recently called Camping's prediction "not only bizarre but 100 percent wrong!" He cited the Bible verse Matthew 24:36, "but about that day or hour no one knows" except God.
 
Camping offered no clues about Family Radio's finances Monday, saying he could not estimate how much had been spent advertising his prediction nor how much money the nonprofit had taken in as a result. In 2009, the nonprofit reported in IRS filings that it received $18.3 million in donations, and had assets of more than $104 million, including $34 million in stocks or other publicly traded securities.


*Has this guy bumped his head or what? All of this world coming to an end is a "HOTMESS!" People should realize that no one actually knows when the world will end; (hopefully never).

It seems like people like this preacher wants his (15 mins) by saying something so ridiculous! If 15 mins of fame is what he wanted; he got it. However, he totally looks like a joke and not a person you take serious.

At the end of the day, people shouldn't be fearful; especially by fakes and bums like this preacher. It's time to get a little faith and put your heart in the hands of the good Lord. When it's all said and done, the good Lord has your back not this lunatic preacher.*


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New president takes power in struggling Haiti

(AP) Charismatic pop star-turned-president Michel Martelly took over Haiti on Saturday, promising to rebuild its earthquake-devastated capital, develop the long-neglected countryside and build a modern army.

The 50-year-old performer known to Haitians as "Sweet Micky" was swept to power in a March 20 presidential runoff by Haitians tired of past leaders who failed to provide even basic services, such as decent roads, water and electricity in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.

Martelly was sworn in during a power outage in front of dozens of dignitaries including former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the U.N.'s special envoy to Haiti, and Edmond Mulet, head of the U.N. mission that has maintained order in Haiti since 2004. Also present was Desi Bouterse, the president of Suriname who is on trial for the 1982 executions of 15 political opponents.

Former Haiti President Rene Preval took off the presidential sash and put it on Martelly as they shook hands and embraced, but did not say anything to each other. Martelly's wife, Sophia, then came on stage and adjusted the sash as their four children joined them.

Martelly did not speak as he left Parliament for the National Palace, where was to deliver a speech.

Outside the gated Parliament, more than 1,000 Martelly supporters gathered.

"Today is a party for us, for the masses, because the country is destroyed," said Esaue Rene, a 28-year-old mechanic who has high hopes for Martelly. "I would like him to bring jobs so that people aren't sitting around in public plazas because they don't have anything else to do."

Martelly appealed to young voters like Rene because he is the antithesis of Preval, who is seen as aloof and uninspiring. Martelly is effusive and charming. He once joked that he'd dance naked atop the National Palace if he were elected president.

But the challenges Martelly faces in fulfilling his ambitious promises were clear Saturday. He was sworn in front of the country's collapsed National Palace and a shantytown filled with thousands of people displaced by last year's magnitude-7.0 earthquake that killed an estimated 230,000 people.

During his campaign, he promised to build houses in the capital; bring economic development to the countryside; provide universal education for children; develop agriculture; and replace the discredited armed forces with a modern army capable of responding to natural disasters. The previous discredited army was disbanded by ousted former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1995.

Political observers say speeding up the multibillion-dollar reconstruction effort is paramount. That means
Martelly's administration must make progress building houses for the more than 600,000 people still living in settlements; stem a cholera epidemic that threatens to spread during the rainy and hurricane seasons; and strengthen the judiciary. And a parliament controlled by political opponents from Preval's party could make passing bills difficult.

He must he do all this quickly.

"His administration will have to show progress fairly quickly in order to provide confidence to the population," said Mark Schneider, senior vice president of the International Crisis Group in Washington, D.C.

Martelly will lead a country still divided over the presidential election itself. He was initially excluded from the runoff in favor of a candidate backed by Preval, only to be restored after the international community challenged the results.

One sign of the division: Martelly's opponents have recently alleged that he holds dual Haitian-U.S. citizenship, which would disqualify him for the presidency. He denies the allegation.

In what some view as a reconciliation effort, Martelly has invited to the inauguration both Aristide and Jean-
Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, the former dictator who made a surprise return to Haiti in January. Neither of them attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Since Duvalier came back, the ex-despot has been charged with embezzlement and human rights abuses, and advocacy groups have criticized Martelly for inviting him.
 
"Martelly's facing the need to knit together a polarized country," Schneider said. "Haiti just went through an election which was riven by discord, disagreement, and unhappiness. And given the makeup of the parliament, he has the major task of forging a national government."
 
In the weeks since Haitian authorities declared him the winner, Martelly has toured the countryside to learn more about reconstruction projects, announced ways to finance free education, and formed a transition team, led by Duvalier's former social affairs minister, Daniel Supplice.
 
Martelly was well-known as an entertainer. But what kind of leader he makes, many in Haiti aren't sure.

"He's unpredictable," said Patrick Elie, a defense minister under Aristide and an adviser to Preval. "He's got teeth that can both smile and bite. He's shown that."


*Haiti has a new "Prez." I guess we should be jumping for joy, but on the other hand we should be skeptical, given the how the past President's have performed.

The country has been through enough turmoil and natural devastation.  It's time for a leader to lead Haiti and bring it out of it's confines of war, drugs, bad leadership, and poverty.

Who knows maybe Martelly is the guy to just do the job, but with that comes alot of responsibility and opposition.

One thing about it, we will be watching, as Haiti has become a pet project for the world.*


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Reality TV star Flavor Flav arrested in Las Vegas!

(AP) Police in Las Vegas say rapper and reality television star Flavor Flav was arrested on four outstanding misdemeanor warrants for driving offenses.

Las Vegas police Officer Marcus Martin said Monday the entertainer whose real name is William Jonathan Drayton was arrested Friday night after a traffic stop east of the Las Vegas Strip.

Martin says Drayton had two outstanding warrants for driving without a license, one for driving without insurance and one related to a parking citation.

Martin says Drayton is no longer in custody.

It wasn't immediately clear whether he had a lawyer or when he is due in court.

Flavor Flav was a member of Public Enemy, and has remained in the spotlight in recent years through appearances on several cable reality shows.

*Will Flavor Flav ever learn? He is the most getting arrested person I know! He should know that he can't drive around without a valid license period! This is what you call an idot stuck on idot stupid.  Las Vegas should of kept his ass in jail to teach his ass an idiot lesson.*


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