PICTURE OF
THE WEEK

March 14, 1999

Here is Miss World 1985, Iceland's Holmfriour (aka Hoffi) Karlsdottir, jumping for joy over glasnost.

From the smile on her face, it is clear she was one of the first in the World in catch Gorby-mania.

Her sweatshirt commemorates the historic October 1986 summit between the USSR and the USA. It marked the second time U.S. President Ronald Regan and Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev met. The summit was held in Reykjavik, Iceland, and in the picture, Hoffi is expressing her happiness over Iceland's role in bringing the two superpowers together.

Also in 1986, Gorbachev instituted glasnost (openness); perestroika (reform) followed in 1988. From a pageant point of view, the equation

Glasnost (+) Perestroika =

the first Miss Soviet Union!

Thanks to Gorby, we saw the Soviet Union compete in Miss World for the first time in 1989 and in Miss Universe in 1990.

Hoffi had good reason to be happy!