JEDDAH: Twenty-one-year old Lebanese-Canadian beauty Rita Houkayem, who speaks three languages and runs her own driveway business, is up against 47 contestants at this year’s Miss Universe Canada.
The event will take place on Aug. 18, the winner of which will represent Canada in the Miss Universe 2018 finals in Bangkok at the end of this year.
Houkayem is a graduating student from the University of Toronto, double-majoring in international development studies and French and minoring in political science. Houkayem, who speaks English, French and Arabic, wants to work with children in developing countries, focusing on empowering young girls through education. Much like in her current job, at Oasis, a Toronto-based women’s center, where she is helping to organize an event for the International Day of the Girl that will take place in October.
Houkayem said growing up in an immigrant family in a multicultural country helped her to gain an appreciation for foreign culture, food, traditions and lifestyle.
“My childhood was filled with nothing but love and support from my parents and my younger brother,” she said in an interview on the Miss Universe Canada website. “Coming from a war-torn country at the time, they did their very best to expose us to a peaceful lifestyle. They raised us to be happy kids, to be respectful and kind individuals, and to appreciate everything life has to offer. They made every event, whether it was our birthday, Christmas or Easter, very special and exposed us to new places and people which made our lives more exciting.”
Houkayem is very involved as a volunteer, spending her time in schools, daycares and homes for the elderly. She tutors and mentors young girls and has spent the last three summers as a camp executive for her church.
“I am a person who loves to smile and make everyone around me smile. I strive to be an eternal optimist,” she said.
In 2009, she was awarded the Mayor’s Medal in 2009 for showing such leadership. She has many interests, which include dancing, singing, traveling, camping and hot yoga. “I enjoy watching plays and movies, dining out, trying new experiences and most importantly, spending time with my family and friends,” she added.
She considers her mother to be the most influential person in her life, in addition to her cousin. “She has inspired me to use my positive attitude and my ambitious and passionate personality to pursue my dreams,” she said.
Houkayem said her proudest personal accomplishment, other than participating in this pageant, is her own driveway-sealing business, which has proven to be successful.
“Although I do not have a background in business or in landscaping, I wanted to prove to myself that I can reach any goal I have. Once I have an idea in my head, no matter how far-fetched it may seem, I will not stop at anything.”
In the future, she hopes to create a non-profit organization that will work toward advancing children’s and women’s rights. “I want to work with people in need, inspire them and have them inspire me. I truly want to make a positive impact on people’s lives.”
People can vote for Houkayem on Miss Universe Canada’s website to help her win the pageant and the People’s Choice Award (http://missuniversecanada.ca/vote-2018/).
Lebanese beauty in Miss Universe Canada contest
Lebanese beauty in Miss Universe Canada contest
Police video shows Vince McMahon’s 100 mph car crash in Connecticut
Newly released police video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon ram his luxury sportscar into the rear end of another vehicle on a Connecticut highway last summer as he was being followed by a state trooper.
McMahon, now 80, was driving his 2024 Bentley Continental GT at more than 100 mph on the Merritt Parkway when he crashed in the town of Westport, according to state police.
A trooper’s dashcam video shows McMahon accelerating away, then braking too late to avoid crashing into the back of a BMW. The Bentley then swerves into a guardrail and careens back across the highway, creating a cloud of dirt and car parts.
“Why were you driving all over 100 mph?” state police Detective Maxwell Robins asked McMahon after catching up to the wrecked Bentley, which can cost over $300,000.
“I got my granddaughter’s birthday” McMahon replied, explaining he was on his way to see her. The encounter was recorded on police bodycam video.
No one was seriously injured in the July 24 crash, which happened the same day that WWE legend Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida.
Besides damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris. The driver of that third car happened to be wearing a WWE shirt, according to the police video.
McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely. A state judge in October allowed McMahon to enter a pretrial probation program that will result in the charges being erased from his record next October if he successfully completes the program. He was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution.
McMahon’s lawyer, Mark Sherman, said the crash was just an accident.
“Not every car accident is a crime,” Sherman said. “Vince’s primary concern during this case was for the other drivers and is appreciative that the court saw this more of an accident than a crime that needed to be prosecuted.”
State police said Robins was trying to catch up to McMahon on the parkway and clock his speed before pulling him over. They said the incident was not a pursuit, which happens when police chase someone trying to flee officers. They also said it did not appear McMahon was trying to escape — though in the video the detective suggests otherwise.
“I’m trying to catch up to you and you keep taking off,” Robins says.
“No, no no. I’m not trying to outrun you,” McMahon says.
An accident information summary provided to the media shortly after the crash did not mention that a trooper was following McMahon.
The Associated Press obtained the videos Wednesday through a public records request. They were first obtained by The Sun newspaper.
The trooper’s bodycam video also shows him asking McMahon whether he was looking at his phone when the crash happened. McMahon said he was not and adds that he hadn’t driven his car in a long time.
After Robins tells McMahon that his car is fast, McMahon replies, “Yeah, too fast.”
The videos also show McMahon talking to the driver he rear-ended. Barbara Doran, of New York City, told the AP last summer that McMahon expressed his concern for her and was glad she was OK. She said she was heading to a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard at the time of the crash.
After McMahon was given the traffic summons, he shook hands with Robins and another trooper and they wished him well.
McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, in 2024, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.
McMahon bought what was then the World Wrestling Federation in 1982 and transformed it from a regional wrestling company into a worldwide phenomenon. Besides running the company with his wife, Linda, who is now the US education secretary, he also performed at WWE events as himself.
