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2014 Miss Wisconsin Teen USA Crowning

2014 Miss Wisconsin USA Crowning

Miss America crowns first winner of Indian descent, and critics slam her as Arab terrorist

‘How the f--k does a foreigner win miss America?’ One man tweets after Nina Davuluri’s historic win.

What not everyone watching the Miss America pageant appeared to realize is that Nina Davuluri is American — or they just chose not to. "How the f--k does a foreigner win miss America? She is a Arab! #idiots," one man tweeted just after the first winner of Indian descent was crowned Sunday night. "If you're #MissAmerica you should have to be American," another woman wrote.

"9/11 was 4 days ago and she gets miss America?" chimed another man who later likened her to a photo of a Middle Eastern man wielding a firearm. The 24-year-old from Fayetteville, New York says she has always viewed herself as ‘first and foremost American.’

A second man appeared to agree while writing on his Twitter feed: "So miss america is a terrorist."

In consequence, the 24-year-old from Fayetteville, New York, near Syracuse, spent part of her first press conference acknowledging the hate-spewed comments that followed.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/1st-america-indian-descent-slammed-arab-article-1.1457133#ixzz2fC1PoNQe

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Tattoos to Tourette's: Four Miss America hopefuls to watch

by Danika Fears
TODAY

A med school hopeful who has battled with bulimia. An Army soldier with tattoos. A 20-year-old with Tourette syndrome. A vocalist born without her left forearm. These are just a few of the ladies who will take the Miss America stage in Atlantic City on Sunday night to vie for the crown. This year’s 53 contestants will bring more than well-coiffed hair and sunny smiles to the annual beauty pageant, which kicked off in 1921. Several women are sharing their diverse, sometimes challenging, life experiences with the world, and using Miss America as a platform for bringing awareness to causes close to their hearts. Health, in particular, is on many contestant's minds: Their platforms range from cancer advocacy, to HIV/AIDS education, to childhood obesity prevention. As the contestants finish up the competition's preliminary rounds in Atlantic City and head to the finale, which airs at 9 p.m. on ABC, here are four candidates with particularly inspiring stories to tell.

First to flaunt tattoos

Twenty-two-year-old Theresa Vail is breaking the Miss America mold as the first contestant to make her way down the catwalk with visible tattoos. She says that showing off her tats, which include an inscription of the Serenity Prayer and the military medical insignia, fits in with her platform of "empowering women, overcoming stereotypes and breaking barriers."

"What a hypocrite I would be if I covered the ink. With my platform, how could I tell other women to be fearless and be true to themselves if I can’t do the same?" Vail wrote in a blog post on Aug. 22. "Now, had my platform been something entirely different, maybe the tables would be turned. Maybe. But I am who I am, tattoos and all." But tattoos aren't the only thing that make Vail an atypical contestant. She's also an archery expert and, as aNational Guard sergeant, she's the second military servicemember to compete for the crown. In the future, she hopes to become a dentist for the Army.

Born with a birth defect
There's been much buzz about Miss Iowa Nicole Kelly, a 23-year-old born without her left forearm. Kelly has never let her condition prevent her from living a normal, active life: Growing up she played baseball, swam and danced. And while she hopes to use the pageant to advocate for people born with disabilities, she says her birth defect is not the reason she's made it this far. "The reason I'm here is not because I'm a public interest story," Kelly told The Associated Press on Monday. "I'm here not because I look different but because I have the intelligence, I have the ability and all the things that Miss America needs to have."

Overcame Tourette's
Miss Arizona Jennifer Smestad, a 20-year-old college student at Grand Canyon University, was diagnosed at the age of 10 with Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary movement and speech. According to her Miss Arizona profile, Smestad found a successful treatment for Tourette's five years after she was diagnosed, and now works to educate other children and families about the condition. "I am beyond blessed to be able to spread awareness and educate others about something that is so personal to me," she wrote on Facebook after visiting an elementary school class on Aug. 24. Smestad's platform is "Tourette Syndrome Awareness and Advocacy." In the future, she hopes to obtain a master's of science in exercise and wellness and use that degree for a career in media.

Battled with bulimia
Just two days before the pageant, contestant Nina Davuluri was still making headlines. An article published on Friday in the New York Post’s Page Six column claimed that shortly after being crowned Miss New York, the 24-year-old was caught on tape calling Mallory Hagan “fat as f---.” Davuluri and Miss America representatives denied Page Six’s claims. The first Indian-American to win the Miss New York title, Nina Davuluri recently opened up about her own battle with bulimia during her final semesters of college at the University of Michigan. "I had bad asthma, I gained a lot of weight, and I stepped back and thought: I'm not going to live long unless I change," she told Syracuse.com. She soon transformed her lifestyle by starting an exercise program and following a healthy diet. Now she wants to attend medical school to become a physician, according to her Miss America profile. Davuluri will also share her Indian heritage with viewers on Friday: Her talent is "classic Bollywood fusion" and platform is "celebrating diversity through cultural competence."

Miss Universe Gets Her New Street Sign

by Mark Schieldrop

 Friends and family of Cranston's Olivia Culpo were on hand at Cranston City Hall Saturday to honor her for winning the Miss Universe pageant and ceremonially dedicate a street in her name. Along with a chance to meet Culpo's boyfriend, Nick Jonas, local officials unveiled a depiction of the sign, which designates a portion of Howard Avenue in Edgewood "Olivia Culpo Way."

 "This is a small token of our appreciation for your accomplishments," said City Council President John E. Lanni Jr. "We are so proud of you." The City Council last month approved a resolution adding the beauty pageant winner's name to Albert Avenue, which runs the length between Broad Street and Narragansett Boulevard in Edgewood.

The official name of the street will remain the same "and for purposes relating to all emergency response systems," according to the resolution. On Saturday, state and local officials lauded Culpo for her work representing both Cranston and the state of Rhode Island as a whole after winning Miss Universe last December. She chatted briefly before the ceremony began with Cranston Mayor Allan W. Fung, telling him she was "so excited" to see the sign.

A few moments later, Fung told the assembled crowd that "she wowed not only all of us, but the rest of the world, really making sure Cranston and our little state of Rhode Island was put on not just the national map, but across the globe."

"No matter where you go in life, remember Cranston will always be your home town," Fung said. Congressman Jim Langevin said Culpo represents the best and brightest Rhode Island has to offer and has done important work touching people around the world, raising awareness about breast cancer research and AIDS as she fulfills her duties as Miss Universe.

Rhode Island House Majority Leader and Cranston Rep. Nicholas Mattiello said someone doesn't win Miss Universe simply by being beautiful — echoing the words of Congressman David Cicilline — they win it by having substance. "It's a testament to your wonderful family," Mattiello said, turning to Culpo's family seated in the front row. "What I know of you folks is that you're good people and good people raise good people."

Rhode Island is a state where everybody knows everybody, and Mattiello noted that his son plays ball with the Culpo's boy, Justin, and has slept over at the Culpo's house. "It's just a great story and Olivia, your grace, beauty and intelligence and [winning Miss Universe] is wonderful news for our city and state." Culpo said "never in a million years" would she expect herself to be standing in front of all her friends and family to get a street in her name. She said she was deeply thankful and said her success is because of where she comes from, here in Cranston. "From the minute I left Cranston to go to college, I was home once a week," Culpo said. "It's a special place where everyone is so closely connected and everyone knows everyone. To grow up in such a tightly knit community has made me who I am today. It is about the values instilled in me."

The Miss Universe winner, who has been busy ever since she won Miss Rhode Island, then Miss USA and ultimately, Miss Universe, said she was so happy to see her family and extended family and friends gathered together in one place. "I couldn't be who I am without where I came from," she said. 

Miss World opens in Indonesia after protests

BALI, Indonesia (AP) — The 63rd edition of the Miss World pageant opened Sunday after protests by Muslim hard-liners confined the event to Indonesia's predominantly Hindu resort island of Bali.

The opening ceremony, which was televised to 186 countries, featured Bali's Kecak dance and a parade of all 131 contestants. Following days of protests by Indonesian hard-line Muslim groups and the rejection of the contest by a leading clerics' organization, the government announced Saturday that it was moving the Sept. 28 final round to Bali. It was initially set to be held in Sentul, on the outskirts of the capital, Jakarta.

Bali is the only Hindu-dominated province in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. Controversy over the pageant has been mounting in Indonesia, which has a reputation as a tolerant, pluralist society that respects freedom of expression.

The Indonesia Ulema Council, the country's most influential clerics' organization, and the hard-line groups Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia and Front for Islamic Defenders have urged the government to cancel the event. They have argued that the exposure of skin by women in a competition violates Muslim teachings, even after organizers agreed to cut the bikini competition and instead outfit contestants in more conservative sarongs. The chairwoman of the Miss World Organization, Julia Morley, has promised that none of the contestants will wear a bikini. The pageant began in the 1950s, and the first winner was crowned in a two-piece bathing suit.

"We only want to try to find the best way of working together," Morley told a news conference Saturday in Bali. Most Muslims in Indonesia, a secular country of 240 million people, are moderate, but a small extremist fringe has become more vocal in recent years. Lady Gaga was forced to cancel her sold-out concert in Indonesia in May following threats by Islamic hard-liners who called her a "devil worshipper." Jennifer Lopez toned down her sexy outfits and dance moves during a show in Jakarta last December.

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Miss World Cancelled?

Miss World Cancelled? Indonesian Clerics Protest Beauty Pageant On Religious Grounds
By NINIEK KARMINI, AP

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- One of Indonesia's most influential Islamic groups is urging the government to cancel the Miss World pageant scheduled for next month, saying the exposure of skin by women in a competition violates Muslim teachings, an official said Monday.

A top-level meeting of clerics was held earlier this month by the Indonesian Ulema Council to respond to protests from some groups over Indonesia's hosting of the event, even after organizers agreed to cut the bikini competition and instead outfit contestants in more conservative sarongs, council chairman Amidan Shaberah said.

"Our position is clear, we reject Indonesia being the host of Miss World," Shaberah said. "Because exposing their bodies in a contest is against Islamic teachings."

The council is an influential Islamic body that often issues fatwas, or edicts, including controversial rulings against smoking and yoga. Though not legally binding, many devoted Muslims follow such decrees because ignoring them is considered a sin.

Shaberah said the council will not officially demand that the government cancel the event, but will instead recommend that it be stopped. The pageant is scheduled to be held partly on the resort island of Bali, with the final round on Sept. 28 near the capital, Jakarta.

"We are not Sharia police, we are not law enforcers," Shaberah said, referring to authorities who enforce Islamic law. "But we suggest the government cancel it."

Adjie S. Soeratmadjie of RCTI, the official broadcaster and local organizer of the event, said the concerns were being heard and that some adjustments were being made to make the pageant more appropriate for Indonesian culture and more like other beauty contests held in the country.

"We understand the position" of the council, Soeratmadjie said. "But the show must go on ... we call on the protesters to avoid anarchy and we are sure authorities can maintain security."

He added that Miss Israel had dropped out of the competition, but declined to give the reason. Indonesia and Israel do not have diplomatic relations.

Last week, the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front pledged to stage protests across the country to prevent Indonesia from hosting the competition.

"The Miss World pageant is only an excuse to exhibit women's body parts," said its leader, Riziek Shihab. "We are obliged to disband it if the government allows it to be held in any region of Indonesia."

The front has a long record of vandalizing nightspots, hurling stones at Western embassies and attacking rival religious groups. Lady Gaga was forced to cancel her sold-out Indonesia show last year after threats from the group, which branded her a "devil worshipper."

The chairwoman of the Miss World Organization, Julia Morley, earlier confirmed that none of the contestants would wear a bikini.

The pageant began in the 1950s, and the first winner was crowned in a two-piece bathing suit.

Most Muslims in Indonesia, a secular country of 240 million people and the world's most populous Islamic country, are moderate, but a small extremist fringe has become more vocal in recent years.

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Jax teen crowned Miss Florida Outstanding Teen

Leah Sykes, 16, new queen
Author: Hailey Winslow

JACKSONVILLE, Fla A 16-year-old from Jacksonville holds a new title and a very impressive background. Leah Sykes was crowned Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen 2014 on August 17. Sykes sang for Channel 4’s cameras Tuesday night, which we quickly learned is just one of her many talents. What impressed us the most about the 16-year-old is her enormous heart. Sykes has already started her own foundation to create a handicapped accessible beach park, making it easier for disabled people to enjoy the beach.

“Especially here in Florida it’s often something we take for granted, the beautiful sunrises, or the water or sand and I wanted to get that opportunity to everyone,” said Sykes. Sykes will now be able to take her platform across the country and serve as the teenage ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Sykes first pageant was in January, and she explained it was something she never thought she’d do, let alone to win the crown for Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen. “The way society views pageants is always toddlers and tiaras and Honey Booboo, and although I love those shows, I don’t condone anybody who does that. I wasn’t necessarily interested in being part of anything like that,” said Sykes.

Sykes changed her mind when she went to watch a pageant and became inspired. “It was about rewarding, talented, intelligent, young women who are actually doing things in the community,” said Sykes.

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