Topless Virgins Woo King

It's good to be the king -- or at least it was Monday in Swaziland, when more than 50,000 bare-breasted virgins tried to capture the royal eye during a traditional Reed Dance ceremony, Reuters reported. King Mswati III, decked out in a leopard-skin loincloth, looked on as the throng of reed-clutching virgins vied to become his 13th wife and jump headfirst into the lap of sub-Saharan luxury. "I want to live a nice life, have money, be rich, have a BMW and cell phone," said 16-year-old dancer and would-be bride Zodwa Mamba. While critics faulted the nipple-rich spectacle, another dancer made peace with the situation. "The king takes a wife whenever he wants and that's the way it is," said Tsandzile Ndluva, 21. "This is our culture and we will never change."
-- Lewis Wallace