Look up Amerika, amerika, Amerikka, or amerikka in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Amerika may refer to:

Places[link]

• Amerika, Saxony, a town in Germany
• Amerika, Drenthe, a hamlet in the Netherlands

Literature[link]

• Amerika (screenplay), a 2010 film by Tito Joe
• Amerika (novel), a 1927 novel by Franz Kafka
• Amerika (magazine), a magazine published by the U.S. State Department during the Cold War
• Amerika (Berg novel), a novel by Sibylle Berg

Music[link]

• Amerika (album), a 1996 album by Bo Kaspers Orkester
• Amerika (TV-2 album), an album by TV-2
• Amerika, an album by Bap
• "Amerika" (song), a song by Rammstein
• "Amerika", a song by Zion I from True & Livin'
• "Amerika", a song by Jakarta
• "Amerika", a song by Rafet El Roman

World War II[link]

• Messerschmitt Me 264 or Amerika, a German reconnaissance aircraft
• Amerika Bomber, a Nazi project for a bomber capable of reaching the United States
• Amerika, a designation of the Special Train (Führersonderzug) used by Adolf Hitler

Ships[link]

• SS Celtic (1872) or Amerika, a White Star liner
• USS America (ID-3006) or SS Amerika, a Hamburg America Line liner seized in World War I
• Russian corvette Amerika, a steam corvette built in New York City in 1857

Other uses[link]

• Amerika (company), a Florida based gasoline distributor
• Amerika (nightclub), an LGBT nightclub in Buenos Aires
• Amerika (TV miniseries)
• Amerika: A Notebook in Three Parts, a documentary by Mika Johnson
• Amerika, satirical alternative spelling for the United States of America

See also[link]

• America (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Venus Raj

Beauty pageant titleholder
Born	Maria Venus Bayonito Raj (1988-07-07) July 7, 1988 (age 23) Doha, Qatar
Agency	Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc.
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Measurements	35-22-35
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Brown
Title(s)	Miss Philippines Eco Tourism 2008 Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2010
Major competition(s)	Miss Philippines Earth 2008 (Miss Philippines Eco Tourism 2008) Binibining Pilipinas 2010 (Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2010) Miss Universe 2010 (4th Runner-Up)

Maria Venus Bayonito Raj (born July 7, 1988) is a Filipina beauty queen. She was crowned Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines)-Universe on March 6, 2010 during the pageant's Grand Coronation Night at the Araneta Coliseum. She represented the Philippines in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, and placed fourth runner-up to Ximena Navarrete of Mexico.^[1]

Early life[link]

Maria Venus Raj was born to an Indian father and a Filipina mother. Raj was taken by her mother to Bato, Camarines Sur in Bicol Region, Philippines as an infant and was registered by an aunt as a Philippine-born child to Roman Catholic parents.^[2] Raj grew up with her mother, a former tenant farmer and dressmaker.^[3] A former Roman Catholic, she is now a Born Again Christian

Raj lived in a nipa hut made of wood, bamboo and anahaw leaves with no electricity in the middle of a sprawling rice field in the rural town of Bato for more than twenty years. She allegedly used rice paddy dikes for her early training where she eventually developed her distinct catwalk.^[3]

The youngest of five children, Maria Venus Raj started out by joining local beauty pageants. She also joined oratorical contests at San Vicente High School where her English teacher served as her coach. With her victories in major contests, Venus Raj had bought land on an installment basis for her mother as a means of improving their livelihood.^[3]

Raj obtained her Diploma in Communications Arts, major in Journalism, at Bicol University in Albay, with Latin honors (Cum Laude).^[4] She graduated through the scholarship that she received from the Francis Papica Foundation.^[3] She worked as an Information Assistant for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region V.^[5] In addition to this, she also worked as a part-time fashion model in her native Bicol and Manila.

Pageantry[link]

Miss Philippines-Earth 2008[link]

Following her victory as Miss Bicolandia, Raj represented Legazpi City and competed in the Miss Philippines-Earth 2008, and was named as Miss Philippines Earth Eco Tourism 2008, and fourth runner-up to eventual Miss Earth 2008 winner Karla Henry on May 11, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Galleria, Manila.

Binibining Pilipinas-Universe[link]

After joining Miss Philippines-Earth in 2008, Raj took a break from beauty contests and worked as an Information Assistant at the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.^{[citation needed]} On March 6, 2010, she was crowned Binibining Pilipinas Universe during the pageant's Grand Coronation Night at the Araneta Coliseum. She won the right to represent the Philippines in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.^[1] She also won the special awards Best in Long Gown, Best in Philippine Terno, and was a co-winner for Miss Friendship – a rare feat for a major title winner.^{[citation needed]}

Dethronement[link]

A few weeks after her coronation, Raj was dethroned by Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. citing alleged inconsistencies between her birth certificate and the personal account of her birth. Raj was briefly replaced by second runner-up Helen Nicolette Henson since first runner-up Diane Elaine S. Necio, also from Bicol was only 17 years old and did not meet the age requirement policies of Miss Universe.^{[citation needed]}

Raj had planned to take legal action to combat BPCI's decision in court, but she also weighed in on her decision because of its potential impact to her future career.A Lawyer Francis Padua Papica, who sponsored Raj’s college education, and another counsel volunteered to defend her for free. led supporters in sending an appeal regarding Raj's case to the Miss Universe Organization

In a local television appearance, Raj stated that a representative for the Miss universe 2010 spoke with her and looked into her case. In the same interview, she said, “My fight is now more than just chasing a dream. It is about clearing my soiled reputation. It is about standing up for people who are poor and born out of wedlock. It is a fight for acceptance.”^[6]

Reinstatement[link]

On April 10, 2010, the Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. allowed Raj to reclaim her title due to humanitarian reasons. An additional requirement that Raj should legally obtain a valid Philippine passport as proof of her true citizenship was also requested by the pageant organizers.^[7] On May 19, 2010, the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs issued Raj a Philippine passport thereby attesting to her Filipino citizenship.^[8] According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Raj is a Philippine citizen by virtue of the jus sanguinis principle (“right of blood”), a basic right provided by the Philippine Constitution which bestows upon a person the citizenship of his father or mother regardless of where the person was born, thus declaring her of Filipino citizenship.^{[citation needed]}

Upon the issuance of her Philippine passport, the Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. announced that they are reinstating Raj. Currently, Raj holds the record as the first-ever dethroned Binibining Pilipinas to have successfully attempted for a reinstatement of a Binibining Pilipinas crown.^{[citation needed]}

Miss Universe 2010[link]

In August 2010, Raj flew to the United States and took part in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant. As part of the six delegates which were handpicked for a media tour, Raj along with Jesinta Campbell of Australia, Natalia Navarro of Colombia, Sarodj Bertin of Haiti, Ximena Navarrete of Mexico, Mariana Vicente of Puerto Rico and Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez were scheduled for several television appearances prior to the actual pageant in Las Vegas. During the Miss Universe question and answer portion, Raj was asked by American actor William Baldwin about the biggest mistake that she made in her life and what she did to make it right, to which she simply replied that she had never made any big mistakes in her life.^[9] Raj received the highest rating in the Miss Universe website, with 3.54 points, the highest-ever for a Filipina delegate.^[10] In an event held in Diablos Cantina at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, Raj won in a Chicken Wing Eating Contest, increasing her popularity even more during the run of the pageant.^[11]

While competing at Miss Universe 2010 in Las Vegas, Raj was emotionally distressed to hear about the death of Filipina-German beauty queen Melody Gersbach and make-up artist Alden Orense in a car accident. Gersbach, a fellow Bicolana who previously competed and secured a place in the Top15 finalists at Miss International 2009 in China, was one of Raj's coaches in her preparation for the Miss Universe pageant.^[12][13]

Career[link]

Prior and post-Miss Universe, Raj guested on multiple networks as guests. On January 14, 2011, Raj signed up an exclusive contract with ABS-CBN, including the airing rights of the Binibining Pilipinas for at least five years.^[14]

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Maria Venus Raj – Miss Philippines Universe Official Website