Online today in the ‘Volante’ section, our most well travelled team members, Stanley Moss and Elyse Glickman, go to Firenze and Québec City respectively. Both places have their specialities, with Stanley discovering a hideaway to get away from the bustle of Firenze—which seems extra-hectic these days with work on the metropolitana—while Elyse revisited Québec City for the first time in nearly 20 years.
   Font nuts like the publisher might notice a slight change in typeface—more on this later.

As promised, some better photos from last Saturday’s cruise with the Miss Universe New Zealand 2008 contestants from my Voigtländer Bessamatic, which shows that a 49-year-old camera can get some darned good results.

Samantha Powell (who would go on to win Miss New Zealand 2008, but Miss Horowhenua at this stage), Rebecca Connor (Miss Wellington, sponsored by the Establishment Bar), Rhonda Grant (sponsored by TR Designs, Palmerston North) and Kylie Anderson (sponsored by C. R. Johnson Ltd., and second runner-up to Miss New Zealand 2006).

A 35 mm film version of the photograph from the cellphone, but with a slightly narrower field. Rebecca Connor (Miss Wellington), Hannah Matthews (runner-up, Miss Universe New Zealand 2008, sponsored by Masport), Samantha Powell (Miss Universe New Zealand 2008), Kylie Warfield (chaperone, and Miss New Zealand Asia–Pacific 2005), and Sylvia Laurenson (sponsored by Bettjemans for 2008, and 2007’s runner-up).

My scanner has gone kaput and I’m now three weeks in the process of getting it fixed. You know—ordering a part, having it arrive, finding it’s totally wrong (as in: the part does not even exist inside this model of scanner), and now, having a really annoying moiré effect on photographs that do not have a dot screen!
   I’m less than impressed as I have some lovely photographs from my judging of Miss Universe New Zealand 2008 that I wouldn’t mind posting. Girls: don’t worry—the embarrassing ones won’t wind up anywhere on the ’net, though I may email them to you directly.
   These are off one of those newfangled cellphones. The good 35 mm ones will have to wait.

Miss Wellington, Rebecca Connor, sponsored by the Establishment Bar, on the launch to Waiheke. Rebecca was in the top five and, from what I can tell, a crowd favourite.

Samantha Powell, Miss Horowhenua, who later won the title of Miss Universe New Zealand 2008. She seems to have a natural beauty. I don’t think I’d be revealing too much about the judging if I were to say she gave a fine interview on the first night (Thursday).

Some of the top-placed contestants are here in a very leggy shot: Rebecca Connor, Hannah Matthews (runner-up, sponsored by Masport), Samantha Powell are present from left to right. From right to left are Lauren Kyle (Miss Auckland), and Sylvia Laurenson (sponsored by Bettjemans), runner-up in 2007, re-entering (Sylvia came in the top five this year). That leaves Kylie Warfield third from right—not a contestant, but one of the chaperones and assistants, who could have easily come in a top position herself in this competition. (She was Miss New Zealand Asia-Pacific 2005.)

The wake from the launch out to Waiheke.

The girls do not starve themselves, as you can see—yep, that’s cream on the top of that glass being delivered to Miss Wanganui, Michelle Kleinsmith. And it’s one of two such glasses heading to this table.

Reports are coming from Agence France Presse and other wire services that Naomi Campbell has been banned from flying British Airways after her arrest last week.
   The services are quoting The Sun and The Daily Mirror.
   Campbell, 37, was arrested last week at Heathrow Airport after a dispute over her luggage at the infamous Terminal 5. She allegedly spat at a police officer.
   She has not been charged and was released on bail.
   British Airways told the Press Association, ‘We do not comment in detail about matters relating to individual passengers.
   ‘All incidents of abusive or disruptive behaviour towards fellow passengers or staff are taken extremely seriously and will not be tolerated.
   ‘We deal with cases on an individual basis and take appropriate action where necessary.’

This photograph was shot for a motoring-and-travel story about the South Island, New Zealand in Lucire no. 26, but it’s one that won’t run in the print magazine as the quality’s not up to scratch. The light is far too strong, but I like the concept: the new Renault Clio meets an old Renault Dauphine. We have no idea which Renault fan in the Otago region put his or her rusting Dauphine on top of a container but it juxtaposed with the new Clio well. I did great mileage in the Clio as part of an extended road test from Christchurch to Dunedin and back, which readers will see in a future issue.

Late last week, Angelina Jolie, UNHCR ambassadrice and actress, wrote an open letter published in The Washington Post, reporting her observations in Iraq.
   I am always keen to hear first-hand reports rather than things filtered through some editorial agenda. This publication is no exception: I make it no secret that we support environmental causes—and have done so long before they were trendy. (We probably made them trendy, or played a part in that, which was my stated aim when UN Radio asked me why Lucire would help them promote the environmental movement in the early 2000s.)
   I also make it no secret that we support animal welfare and humanistic business practices.
   When Michael Yon telephoned me a while back I wanted to hear directly from him about his experiences being embedded with US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
   Too many media, sadly, function on sensationalism and sales first, the personal aggrandizement of the journalist second, and the truth somewhere further down the line. On that we differ. We see reporting as a cherished duty and it is Job No. 1.
   Over the weekend I told three of my cousins, who are in their late teens to early 20s, the same thing and they agreed. They are obviously very perceptive but it is worrying we have already given our young people that cynicism.
   Thus when I read Ms Jolie’s letter, I thought we finally read something fair with the only agenda being pushed those of the UNHCR. There are no politics in there, or the taking of an anti-war or pro-war position. It certainly made better reading than some of the Hollywood rants over the last (almost) five years.
   Some highlights include:

Here is what we do know: More than 2 million people are refugees inside their own country—without homes, jobs and, to a terrible degree, without medicine, food or clean water. Ethnic cleansing and other acts of unspeakable violence have driven them into a vast and very dangerous no-man’s land. … 
   An additional 2.5 million Iraqis have sought refuge outside Iraq, mainly in Syria and Jordan. …
   I’m not a security expert, but it doesn’t take one to see that Syria and Jordan are carrying an unsustainable burden.

   Ms Jolie met with Gen David Petraeus, the commander who is leading the surge against al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups within Iraq. She also met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
   She continues:

My visit left me even more deeply convinced that we not only have a moral obligation to help displaced Iraqi families, but also a serious, long-term, national security interest in ending this crisis.
   Today’s humanitarian crisis in Iraq—and the potential consequences for our national security—are great. Can the United States afford to gamble that 4 million or more poor and displaced people, in the heart of Middle East, won’t explode in violent desperation, sending the whole region into further disorder? …
   As for the question of whether the surge is working, I can only state what I witnessed: U.N. staff and those of non-governmental organizations seem to feel they have the right set of circumstances to attempt to scale up their programs. …
   It seems to me that now is the moment to address the humanitarian side of this situation. Without the right support, we could miss an opportunity to do some of the good we always stated we intended to do.

   Ms Jolie believes that spending on humanitarian crises makes sense, and the expenditure to help the people of Iraq is a lot less than on the war itself.
   Through their return and the rebuilding of their lives, they will be able to stand up against the terrorists.
   What would be fatal is leaving the Iraqi people to fend for themselves, and it is up to the international community to show its goodwill in helping another nation.
   Pro-war or anti-war, I believe most of us share the view that we humans are capable of helping one another and should when the occasion arises. The UNHCR appeal amount is US$261 million for this year, which Ms Jolie is set to help bring in.

Karen Loftus’s story on San Diego is online now, for those who want a break away from Los Angeles that’s not too far away from the southern Californian metropolis. It was a case of ‘Who knew?’ as Karen uncovers some of the hidden gems in the San Diego area, just two hours from her home base.

   Meanwhile, Brad Green, formerly of the US Navy, has emailed to say that he has started a T-shirt line called Peace Love Life, with a clever and simple idea. Each T-shirt has the words peace, love and life, plus a city’s name—in the written language of the place that it’s touting.
   Brad writes, ‘We exist to connect people of different cultures and languages by promoting and celebrating peace, love and life around the world through socially-conscious fashion. Our collection began with major cities and capitals of the world, and quickly grew to include areas of conflict like Baghdad, Darfur, Haiti and New Orleans. A donation from each purchase is made to organizations that benefit struggling or conflict regions of the world. We’ve also recently added a special edition San Diego t-shirt. $10 from each special edition shirt is donated to the San Diego American Red Cross to benefit victims of the 2007 firestorm and other local disasters.’
   We didn’t time these two things about San Diego, California to coincide—but it’s always nice to notice when they do. Someone up there is telling us that we’re on the right course.

Lucire, the international fashion magazine headquartered in New Zealand, has announced that it has collaborated with the Twinpalms Phuket resort and Asia Design Consultants Ltd. to see an extra print edition in Thailand.
   Twinpalms Lucire launches February 20 with 5,000 copies distributed through the Surin Beach, Phuket resort and its sister properties.
   The magazine has features on fashion, lifestyle and travel, with a lesser emphasis on beauty when compared to Lucire’s other print editions.
   Miguel Kirjon of Asia Design Consultants oversaw the production and editorial mix, in collaboration with Lucire founder and publisher Jack Yan, deputy editor Sylvia Giles and assistants Dominique Whittaker and Ashleigh Berry.
   Many of the Lucire articles had been commissioned by Laura Ming-Wong, the magazine’s editor in New Zealand.
   Mr Yan says, ‘This is another small step in growing the Lucire brand, targeting it at an aspirational audience that says, “I want to be a step ahead.” We’re confident that the Twinpalms audience will love our mixture and socially responsible approach to fashion and lifestyle reporting.
   ‘I’m also delighted that Miguel has created a unique look founded in the Swiss school of design. It’s very different from the home edition and it’s a classy production.’
   In addition to its design direction, Mr Kirjon has commissioned many additional, original articles for the Twinpalms’ side of the magazine.
   Twinpalms Phuket is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, one of the most exclusive collectives of hotel properties internationally. The resort is privately owned, with a private beach club and an enviable location next to Millionaires’ Cove.
   Lucire started as an online fashion magazine in 1997 and is notable for having diversified into print, rather than adopt the print-to-web approach of its competitors. Its Webby-nominated website remains a popular destination for fashion leaders, while the print magazine is regarded as a luxurious and socially responsible publication.

The French political and gossip press, as well as some glossies, united over Christmas as President Nicolas Sarkozy’s girlfriend, model-turned-singer Carla Bruni, flew to Luxor with his family to stay at the five-star Hotel Sofitel Old Winter Palace (left), near the Karnak temple. The family flew on a Falcon 900 private jet loaned by billionaire Vincent Bolloré. This was confirmed by the Élysée.
   The Élysée states that President Sarkozy has an official visit in Egypt on the 30th, but has not elaborated on Ms Bruni’s role.
   The political left is critical of the relationship being in the limelight, despite an earlier poll showing that 89 per cent of French people regard it as a private matter.
   Given the state of the non-political media, the attention Sarkozy and Bruni have received is unsurprising and cannot be levelled entirely at the President. While he has been attacked over a lack of solemnity for the office by Jean Matouk, a leftist economist, one thinks that even the most restrained of conduct would not stop public and gossip media interest. The alternative, surely, must be to transport Ms Bruni as cargo—or hide the relationship altogether (as Sarko’s married predecessors once did with their extramarital affairs) in an age of transparency?
   The price of the rooms at the Old Winter Palace might be a better target for leftists: some of the top suites go for $1,100 per night, according to Libération.

In Lucire issue 24, one of my criticisms about the Quadrant Hotel in Auckland was directed at the table. This table is full of holes as an arty feature. Not a good idea: keys, cards and Strepsils kept falling through the holes.
   Quadrant sales and marketing director Penny Evans wrote me today to note that the Quadrant’s new one-bedroom executive apartments have glass-topped tables. They have separate work desks and the internet signal is superior, she tells me.
   They certainly look nicer, as the photo shows—though the regular rooms’ interior design was not actually bad. It’s just that that darned table won few prizes for practicality. I might test-drive the rooms in 2008.