Participation in International Pageants
Between 1983 and 2003, Miss Venezuela placed into the Miss Universe semifinals each consecutive year, and placed in the top six or higher every year from 1991 to 2003. This streak was ended in 2004 when Ana Karina Áñez was not chosen as a semi-finalist at Miss Universe 2004. Venezuela has also twice held the Miss Universe and Miss World titles simultaneously: in 1981–1982 with Irene Saez (Miss Universe) and Pilin Leon (Miss World), and again in 1995–1996 with Alicia Machado (Miss Universe) and Jacqueline Aguilera (Miss World). This makes Venezuela one of only two countries to have simultaneously held both titles twice (the other being India in 1994 and 2000). In total, Venezuela has won over seventy international crowns under the guidance of the pageant, and the country's representatives have won at least one international title each year. It is said that Osmel Sousa will retire from his two decades of directing the pageant after seeing a Venezuelan crown another Venezuelan as Miss Universe. Until recently, when Venezuelan Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe 2008, crowned her compatriot Stefania Fernandez as Miss Universe 2009, no country had ever won in this pageant on consecutive years (Three countries have done it in Miss World: Sweden, United Kingdom and India). Venezuela also has the record of more Continental Queen Awards: 12. Another impressive record is having a crown of one of three major pageants during consecutive years: World-International-Universe (1984, 85, 86) World-Universe-International (1995,96,97) and Universe-Universe-International-World (2008, 09,10, 11).
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“Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories. Listening for them is something more acute than listening to them. I suppose it’s an early form of participation in what goes on. Listening children know stories are there. When their elders sit and begin, children are just waiting and hoping for one to come out, like a mouse from its hole.”
—Eudora Welty (b. 1909)