World's Ugliest Dog Contest

There was shampoo, backcombing and enough diva antics to scare the steeliest of postmen but as beauty pageants go not every canine would have been quite so happy to participate.

But for those who did take part in the World's Ugliest Dog Competition at Sonoma-Marin Fair in California it was a question of ugly being the new beautiful.

In the dog-eat-dog, claw-biting contest a truly 'unique' looking creature beat off other hideous hounds to claim the crown for being the world's ugliest pedigree dog.

Ugly mutt: Miss Ellie competes in the World's Ugliest Dog Contest

Ready for my close-up: Miss Ellie, officially the world's ugliest pedigree dog

Miss Ellie, a pure breed Chinese crested hairless from Tennessee, is reported to be around 15 years old, has only a couple of back teeth, cataracts in both her eyes, several moles and pimples and limited hair - with such credentials the other mutts surely could not have stood a chance.

And like every good beauty queen Miss Ellie also had a heartfelt message for her adoring fans. According to her owner come spokesperson, Dawn Goehring, Miss Ellie really hopes to be a 'spokesmodel for rescue dogs of the 'not so cute' kind''.

'Her dream is to travel around to prove that ugly is just a word, and says nothing about how wonderful she is,' she said.

Triumph: Miss Ellie's owner Dawn Goehring on hearing the news her diamond dog had won

Ellie has come a long way from being kept in a kennel area for much of her life with an owner that saw no purpose for her.

When she was rescued she knew no commands and was not house trained but now rules the roost among her other rescue pals and even attended her owner's wedding in rival white dress and veil.

'Miss Ellie hopes that people get the message that there are plenty of wonderful rescue dogs out there just waiting for a chance,' added her proud owner.

Are you looking at me? Pabst the boxer was the surprise overall winner of the competition

As well as winning a modeling contract from House Of Dog lucky Ellie will also pick up a cheque for $1,000, a trophy to put in her kennel and even a professional photo shoot.

But Miss Ellie is a positive beauty compared to the mutt who beat her to overall first place as the ugliest dog in the world – Pabst, a four-year-old boxer mix with a lopsided toothy grimace.

As well as the glory, Pabst received £1,000 in cash, a year-long modelling contract, a prize package of collars, leads, bowls and toys, and a professional photoshoot.

Surprise winner: Miles Egstad receives his trophy with pet dog Pabst, a boxer mix, after becoming the overall the 21st Annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest

Owner Miles Egstad said Pabst was rescued from an animal shelter as a puppy and named after an American beer for his ‘bitter beer face’.

The dog has a 2in underbite, a large scar from a burn on his stomach and nails which grow in odd directions, according to Mr Egstad.

The annual contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair has been held since 1976.
Pabst’s victory was an upset – the first place usually goes to a Chinese crested.

world's youngest smoker

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A five-year-old Chinese boy is thought to be the world’s youngest smoker.

Tong Liangliang was taught how to light up by his father, who believed the habit would alleviate pain caused by a hernia.

The toddler now smokes a pack of cigarettes a day and throws a tantrum if he can’t get his fix.

‘The father wasn’t aware of how serious the toddler’s habit became until the child began to increase the number of cigarettes he smoked per day’, China Radio International reported.

Tong received his first cigarette at the age of 18 months in a bid to reduce the discomfort caused by his hernia. The boy’s tender age meant he was too young to have an operation.

In 2005 a 37-year-old man submitted an application to the Guinness Book of Records, claiming to have smoked since the age of three.

The man was bidding for an accolade as the world’s youngest smoker, but his application was denied on the grounds that it promoted a harmful habit.

Richard Sandrak World's Strongest Boy

Richard Sandrak, also known as Little Hercules (born April 15, 1992) is a Ukrainian-born, American bodybuilder, martial artist and actor, renowned for his physique at an extremely young age. He is probably best known for his appearance in the documentary The World's Strongest Boy, which has been shown on several TV channels across the world, and for his dedication to bodybuilding

Richard Sandrak World's Strongest Boy

A remarkable story of a young child who by the age of six had a stomach so firm and so toned that he had, not a six-pack but, an eight-pack. Richard moved to the USA when he was two years old with his parents, Pavel and Lena, from the Ukraine for a better life.

Pavel, A World Martial Arts Champion and Lena, an Aerobics competitor, soon realised, or perhaps, soon decided that Richard would/could be a child prodigy. They began his training at the age of two with light exercises and martial arts skills. This progressed over the next few years to quite intense body-building work outs. Richard trained continuously and attained a truly remarkable physique.

Richard was put in touch with Frank and Sherry Goggin-Giardina, body-building, fitness and nutritional experts with the marketing clout to get Richard known. Frank and Sherry produced a healthy fitness program for the boy to follow and soon he was lifting 180 pounds. He continued to train in martial arts and by age eight had the strongest kicks and fastest punches in the world.

His ability to bench press heavy weights, as well as his training regimen, have made him known in the media of many nations as "The Strongest Boy in the World" have worked to get him a career in movies, much like Sandrak's idol, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the family even launched a line of supplements featuring his picture on the packaging that Richard himself promoted (They caused controversy in the documentary he is in, as Sandrak's trainer at the time believed that his father was putting steroids in the supplements).

Unbelieveable Stuff:Richard Sandrak World's Strongest Boy in wikipedia

weightless wedding

World's first weightless wedding

Bride Erin Finnegan and bridegroom Noah Fulmor, both of New York, seal their marriage vows with a kiss during the first weightless wedding aboard a specially-equipped Boeing 727, owned by Zero Gravity Corporation, while flying over the Gulf of Mexico after taking off from Titusville, Florida, June 20, 2009. Finnegan and Fulmor floated into matrimony on Saturday thousands of feet (metres) above the Gulf of Mexico in what organizers said was the world's first weightless wedding held in zero gravity conditions. To recreate the weightless experience without going into space, the plane executed parabolic flight maneuvers, climbing sharply and descending several times during the one-hour flight.

Bridegroom Noah Fulmor and his bride Erin Finnegan, both of New York, float and celebrate with the rest of the wedding party after saying their vows aboard a specially-equipped Boeing 727 of the Zero Gravity Corporation over the Gulf of Mexico

Top 8 Wild Wedding in world

Two trends are tying the knot: adventure travel and destination weddings. For some, a Caribbean beachfront wedding -- long the staple of destination nuptials -- has grown too tame. Too common.

"Couples are looking for any type of way to be original," said WeddingChannel.com senior editor Christa Vagnozzi. "They really want to showcase their style and originality."

So, while one in 10 couples now plans a destination wedding, according to a 2007 survey by WeddingChannel.com, a select crop of them are adding adventure to their nuptials, with ceremonies underwater, on skis and glaciers, in the stratosphere and the African bush.

1) Underwater wedding

Anse Chastanet Resort on St. Lucia will bring your wedding under the sea for a $350 surcharge.

And the couples Troubetzkoy has helped get married below the surface of the Caribbean have all been young scuba diving enthusiasts.

The tricky part is getting the registrar to the site of the ceremony.

"The registrars here are all a little more mature," she said carefully, adding that Anse Chastanet has put in a request to the government to employ a more "fit" registrar to accommodate the resort's more daring wedding itineraries.

For that reason, scuba brides and grooms are legally married either on the boat deck or the beach in the presence of the registrar, then slap on their oxygen tanks and dive masks and repeat the ceremony under the sea -- with the aid of slates, or plastic boards where they can write dialogue in waterproof pen.

The basic wedding package at Anse Chastanet is $895, which includes all planning services and legal fees, and the "underwater surcharge" is $350.

2)Thick Ice Wedding

At the other end of North America, in a rural area ouside of Juneau, Alaska, is Pearson's Pond Luxury Inn and Adventure Spa, where owner Diane Pearson marries anywhere from 15 to 30 couples a year on the neighboring glacier.

Bride and groom kiss on the frozen glacier just outside of Juneau, Alaska. Temperatures on the glacier are usually only about 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than on land.

"I have a passion for love," Pearson said. "And adventure. And glaciers."

Of planning glacier weddings and serving as the officiant herself, she said, "I've been doing it for eight or 10 years now. Glaciers are 100 percent the best, and being on one is one of the coolest things you'll ever do in your life."

Whereas the Caribbean weddings -- underwater and otherwise -- that Troubetzkoy described tend to involve a wedding party of 10 to 30 friends and family, Pearson said her glacier weddings typically are just bride, groom and herself.

"People who choose this don't want anything traditional," she said. "Instead of spending between $30,000 and $60,000 on the ceremony -- which is what an average wedding costs these days -- they can have a great wedding, a honeymoon, a down payment on a house, and not have to deal with all the family issues."

In the package, a helicopter whisks the couple from their luxury suite at Pearson's Pond right to the middle of the glacier. Surprisingly, it's only about 10 to 15 degrees cooler on the glacier than on the ground, Pearson said -- meaning around 55 degrees Fahrenheit for a summer wedding on the glacier.

Depending on the couple's preference, Pearson arranges the reception, cake, champagne, and even the first dance right there on the ice.

3)Safari wedding planner

Of all the adventure travel weddings building steam, Vagnozzi said she suspects the African safari trend is growing the fastest. Maybe that's because there's so much to choose from, starting with which country.

Safari wedding planner Meregan Turner got married in the Kenyan bush herself. Here, Samburu tribe warriors give her away at the ceremony.

Turns out, no matter what time of year you want to get married, somewhere in Africa can be quite accommodating.

"Where it could be raining in May in Kenya, it's a lovely time to go to Botswana," said Meregan Turner of Safari Drive, a London-based company that plans weddings and safaris throughout the African continent.

"Most of the weddings we do are in the bush -- not necessarily in surrounds of the lodge," said Turner, drawing attention to the difference between an African resort wedding and one that's truly in the wild.

"I actually got married in Kenya. We had a ranger to keep elephants away," she said.

Of her own safari wedding, Turner said she was given away by Samburu tribesman, whom she had come to befriend during the time she spent in Kenya.

"They asked me if they could give me away. It was an honor," she said.

In fact, arranging for Samburu warriors to witness a wedding is one of the details she can arrange.

Her team at Safari Drive organizes weddings in remote bush locations in Zambia, Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania. They handle everything from the red tape that ensures your marriage is legal, to the camel on which you depart from the ceremony.

"Our aim is to provide proper weddings that are legal, rather than getting married in the registrar's office and then having a blessing out in the bush," Turner said.

Though it varies, depending on the options a couple may want, the basic cost is about $9,000, Turner estimated, which includes the ceremony itself, reception, any legal fees and the basic honeymoon package.

4)mountaintop wedding

Nearly every ski resort is happy to host a mountain wedding. But a smaller crop of them -- ranging from high-end destinations, like the Arrabelle in Vail, Colo., to surprisingly affordable packages in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains -- actually offer an option to ski down the aisle, so to speak.

After a mountaintop wedding, these newlyweds prepare to celebrate the moment with a ski downhill

Clad in white gown and classic tux, adventurous brides and grooms seal the "I do" moment with an inaugural downhill ski.

"A lot of people ask about it," said Frankee Love of Blue Ridge Weddings in Virginia. "But most don't end up taking that option."

Why the high interest with little follow-through?

"A lot of times, it seems to be because of family members," Love said, referring to the pressure to plan a more traditional wedding.

Love, who has organized snowboarder weddings, as well, said it's usual for the entire wedding party to follow the bridal couple down the slope. But, apparently, that's less common on Vail Mountain.

Rock Resort's John Dawsey helps make weddings possible at a number of resorts on Vail Mountain, including the Arrabelle at Vail Square, where couples can ski right into their reception.

Despite that option, Dawsey said, "More couples get married in summer here than winter. Either way, we have the Wedding Deck that overlooks Holy Cross to the west. It's a naturally carved cross into the landscape below -- very spiritual."

This Wedding Deck is 9,500 feet up on a peak called Eagle's Nest, and can be reserved through several resorts surrounding Vail Mountain, Dawsey said.

While packages in Vail vary greatly, depending which property you choose for your reception and stay, the basic package at Blue Ridge Weddings is $1,025.

5)balloon weddings

Mike Kijak has been flying hot air balloons through California's Sonoma Valley for 15 years.

Though the wedding party is limited to eight, the sky is the limit for hot air balloon weddings at Up and Away in Sonoma Valley. Owner Mike Kijak, center, pilots the balloon and performs the ceremony.

"You would hear about it," he said of hot air balloon weddings. "It's marriage proposals we'd see a lot of. Then one day someone asked, 'Can you marry us?' And I thought, 'Sure, why not?'"

So, Kijak looked into it and can now legally marry couples in the state of California. Of course, he's also flying the balloon, so ceremonies stay relatively simple.

"We have an average of five [weddings] a year, and 80 percent of them are just the bride, groom and me up there. But we have a balloon that can fly six people, and one that can take eight to 10 people," he said.

Though the weddings are simple, they have a personal touch. The whole affair is managed by Kijak and his wife, who handles the cake, flowers and post-wedding brunch at Sonoma's nearby Kendall-Jackson Winery.

"It's for couples interested in doing something completely different. And it's probably one of the most relaxing things you'll do in your whole life," said Kijak, who has a perfect record with not one accident in 15 years.

Wedding packages at Up and Away, Kijak's company, run $950, which covers the 75- to 90-minute flight, ceremony, cake, flowers and winery brunch.

6)Bungee Wedding

A couple married 150 feet in the air before celebrating with a kiss at the end of a bungee jump.

Sandra Eens and Jeroen Kippers, both 25, became the first people in the world to marry suspended high above the ground in a specially converted cradle.

They were watched by 10 close friends and relatives as they took their vows in front of a minister before going over the side and locking lips upside down.

Directly below them was the marquee where the party then enjoyed a wedding reception.

The pair paid over £7,000 for the privilege of being the first customers of new company Marriage in the Sky.

Company spokesman David Ghysels said: "The bungee jump was the first step in their new lives."

He added: "We want to provide our clients with the most exclusive experiences imaginable.

"The sky is a dream that has always fascinated human beings. Today, people want to have extraordinary experiences, each dreaming of something different to their neighbour."

The wedding service is offered by Belgian company Meeting in the Sky which was formed to give companies or private individuals the opportunity to organise a product presentation, a conference, a concert or a meeting for up to 30 guests, strapped into aircraft seats on a specially constructed platform hoisted up by crane.

David added: "Marriage in the Sky which offers couples the opportunity to get married just as they would in church with priests, witnesses, families and friends, an organ...but in the clouds among the angels at 50 meters high.

"In this case the 10 central seats are removed to create an aisle along which the newly married couple walks between their guests."

He said couples could enjoy the experience at top locations around the world including the Grand Canyon or even Tower Bridge.

7)Roller coaster Wedding

Add some speed and exhilaration to your wedding by saying “I do” on a roller coaster.

Whether you choose a crazy inverted coaster or an old-fashioned wooden one, a roller coaster will make for an exciting and memorable wedding.

You’ll have crazy wedding photos and hopefully it won’t be too symbolic of the future with your new spouse!

Jerry and Leslie Fleming tied the knot in the most unusual way on May 23, 2008, when they decided to wed on top of the Voyage roller coaster at Holiday World in Santa Clause, Indiana.

The couple, who met on an online dating site, share a love of roller coasters, so marrying 160 feet above the ground was a dream come true for the pair.

To make the event even more memorable the Fleming’s had an Elvis impersonator officiate their roller coasting wedding.

As soon as the ceremony was over the couple began their life together finishing out the ride.

8)Ghetto Wedding

After seeing how people in the hood party or how a ghetto prom looks like, we’re going to see a happy couple join their destinies in this holy union that is marriage. Forget the tuxedo or the white tie, these guys have a different thing in mind. I’m not exactly sure what are they aiming by spray-painting their T-shirt but I guess they’re down.