Starship Asterisk*

• 68 have been from the earth,
  zero have been from elsewhere.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Universe wrote:
<<The first use of the title "Miss Universe" was as part of International Pageant of Pulchritude which began in 1926. These events, the first international contests, lasted until 1935 when the Great Depression and other events preceding World War II led to their demise. This pageant had no direct relationship with the modern event. The winner of the later "Miss America 1951" pageant, Yolande Betbeze, refused to pose in a swimsuit from its major sponsor, Catalina swimwear. As a result, the brand's manufacturer Pacific Mills withdrew from Miss America and set up the Miss USA and Miss Universe contests. The first Miss Universe Pageant was held in Long Beach, California in 1952. It was won by Armi Kuusela from Finland. Until 1958 the Miss Universe title (like Miss America) was post-dated, so at the time Ms. Kuusela's title was Miss Universe 1953.>>

neufer wrote:Of all the winners of the "Miss Universe" Pageant:

• 68 have been from the earth,
  zero have been from elsewhere.

Ann wrote:
Depends on who the judges of cosmic female beauty are.

If they are from HD231586b, then who knows, neufer,
they might award you the Miss Universe title.

Ann wrote:
If Vogons were the judges, would human beings stand a chance?
Maybe that woman from England who wrote the worst poetry in the universe?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

orin stepanek wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be8zOB6OjWg

neufer wrote:

orin stepanek wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be8zOB6OjWg

The deep philosophical issues involved here seem to transcend the mere concept of "good looks."

Ann wrote:
If we find life on other planets, what would happen to the Miss Universe pageant?

http://www.toonsup.com/users/t/toonsup/ ... 6_1319.jpg

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=45524 wrote:
<<The Tuamotu Archipelago is part of French Polynesia, and forms the largest chain of atolls in the world. This astronaut photograph features Mataiva Atoll, the westernmost atoll of the Tuamotu chain. An atoll is a ring-shaped island that encloses a central lagoon. This distinctive morphology is usually associated with oceanic islands formed by volcanoes; coral reefs become established around the partially submerged volcanic cone. Over geologic time the central volcano becomes extinct, followed by erosion and subsidence beneath the sea surface, leaving the coral reefs as a ring around (or cap on) the submerged island remnant. Coral reefs exposed above the sea surface in turn experience erosion, sedimentation, and soil formation, leading to the establishment of vegetation and complex ecosystems—including in many cases human habitation.

Mataiva Atoll is notable in that its central lagoon includes a network of ridges (white, image center) and small basins formed from eroded coral reefs. Mataiva means “nine eyes” in Tuamotuan, an allusion to nine narrow channels on the south-central portion of the island. The atoll is sparsely populated, with only a single village—Pahua—located on either side of the only pass providing constant connection between the shallow (light blue) water of the lagoon and the deeper (dark blue) adjacent Pacific Ocean. Much of the 10-kilometer- (6-mile-) long atoll is covered with forest (greenish brown). Vanilla and copra (dried coconut) are major exports from the atoll, but tourism is becoming a larger part of the economy.>>