Divinity

In religious terms, divinity or godhead is the state of things that come from a supernatural power or deity, such as a god, supreme being, Creator-God or spirits, and are therefore regarded as sacred and holy. Such things are regarded as "divine" due to their transcendental origins, and/or because their attributes or qualities are superior or supreme relative to things of the Earth. Divine things are regarded as eternal and based in truth, while material things are regarded as ephemeral and based in illusion. Such things that may qualify as "divine" are apparitions, visions, prophecies, miracles, and in some views also the soul, or more general things like resurrection, immortality, grace, and salvation. Otherwise what is or is not divine may be loosely defined, as it is used by different belief systems.

The root of the word "divine" is literally "godly" (from the Latin deus, cf. Dyaus, closely related to Greek zeus, div in Persian and deva in Sanskrit), but the use varies significantly depending on which deity is being discussed. This article outlines the major distinctions in the conventional use of the terms.

Divine (performer)

Harris Glenn Milstead, better known by his stage name Divine (October 19, 1945 – March 7, 1988), was an American actor, singer and drag queen. Closely associated with the independent filmmaker John Waters, Divine was a character actor, usually performing female roles in cinematic and theatrical appearances, and adopted a female drag persona for his music career.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland to a conservative middle-class family, Milstead developed an early interest in drag while working as a women's hairdresser. By the mid-1960s he had embraced the city's countercultural scene and befriended Waters, who gave him the name "Divine" and the tagline of "the most beautiful woman in the world, almost." Along with his friend David Lochary, Divine joined Waters' acting troupe, the Dreamlanders, and adopted female roles for their experimental short films Roman Candles (1966), Eat Your Makeup (1968), and The Diane Linkletter Story (1969). Again in drag, he took a lead role in both of Waters' early full-length movies, Mondo Trasho (1969) and Multiple Maniacs (1970), the latter of which began to attract press attention for the group. Divine next starred in Waters' Pink Flamingos (1972), which proved a hit on the U.S. midnight movie circuit, became a cult classic, and established Divine's fame within the American counterculture.

Divine (Sébastien Tellier song)

"Divine" is a song by Sébastien Tellier from his 2008 album Sexuality. The song represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The song is in English, with a few verses in French. The fact that most of the song was sung in English caused some criticism, and has even been brought up in the French parliament.

Sébastien Tellier's performance was noted for entering the stage driving a small golf buggy branded with the French Tricolour, and carrying a helium filled inflatable globe that he inhaled from. Also, the five back-up singers wore sunglasses, wigs and fake facial hair, resembling Tellier.

The song automatically qualified for the final of the contest due to France being a member of the Big 4. The final was held on 24 May 2008, where the song was performed 19th in the running order, following the Ukraine's Ani Lorak with "Shady Lady" and preceding Azerbaijan's Elnur and Samir with "Day After Day". It received a total of 47 points, placing 19th in a field of 25.

Gloria (heating system)

Gloria (meaning glory in Spanish) was a central heating system used in Castile beginning in the Middle Ages. It was a direct descendant of the Roman hypocaust, and due to its slow rate of combustion, it allowed people to use smaller fuels such as hay instead of wood.

Description

The Gloria consisted of a firebox, generally located outside (in a courtyard, for example), which burned hay, and one or more ducts that ran under the floors of the rooms to be heated. The warm exhaust gases from the combustion would pass through these ducts and then be released outside through a vertical flue.

The system is more efficient than a fireplace, because the rate of combustion (and therefore the heat output) can be regulated by restricting the airflow into the firebox. Moreover, the air required for combustion does not have to pass through the interior of the building, which reduces cold drafts. Finally, because the firebox is not open to the interior, there is no risk of filling the interior with smoke.

Gloria (1980 film)

Gloria is a 1980 American crime thriller film written and directed by John Cassavetes. It tells the story of a gangster's girlfriend who goes on the run with a young boy who is being hunted by the mob for information he may or may not have. It stars Gena Rowlands, Julie Carmen, Buck Henry, and John Adames.

Plot

In the South Bronx, Jeri Dawn is heading home on the bus with bags of groceries. She gets off at her stop and accidentally drops all her bags. After picking them up, she heads to an apartment building. Once inside the lobby, she passes a man whose dress and appearance are out of place. The woman quickly boards the elevator and anxiously waits for it to reach her floor, where she then gets off and heads to a room far from the elevator.

She is met by her husband Jack Dawn, an accountant for a New York City mob family. There is a contract on Jack and his family, as he has been acting as an informant for the FBI. Suddenly, the family's neighbor, Gloria Swenson, rings their doorbell, asking to borrow some coffee. Jeri tells Gloria of the impending hit and implores Gloria to protect the children. Gloria, a former mobster's girlfriend, tells Jeri that she doesn't like kids but begrudgingly agrees. The Dawns' daughter Carmen refuses to leave and locks herself in the bathroom, so Gloria takes only their young son Phil to her apartment – just narrowly missing the hit squad.

Gloria (1931 film)

Gloria is a 1931 French-German drama film directed by Hans Behrendt and starring Gustav Fröhlich, Brigitte Helm and Rolf Drucker. It was a co-production between the Munich-based Bavaria Film and France's Pathé-Natan. A separate French-language version Gloria was also released. Such multi-language versions were common during the early years of sound.

Cast

References

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