Outages still plaguing social media platform, Twitter Inc. is not paying its California landlords, Elon has a garage sale & announces he is opening the platform up to political advertising in the lead-up to the US presidential election

Twitter, 4 January 2023

Elon Musk's 'faster', smarter, more informative, Twitter social media platform has been displaying the agility of dial-up Internet access in late 1990s rural and regional Australia.

Commencing at around 5am on Wednesday 4 January 2023 the numbers began to build for problems when accessing Twitter via website or app, notifications nowhere to be seen and, problems uploading to the site or having a tweet accepted. The degree of buffering was impressive, as was the alerts that something was wrong and try again.

Twitter's underwhelming performance appeared to be affecting users in Australia and New Zealand.

A Downdetector graph showing the beginnings of the user-reported problem from 2.03pm on Tuesday 3 January up to 1.48pm on Wednesday 4 January 2023 in Australia. 

More people appear to have been reporting problems in New Zealand.

Meanwhile on the morning of 4 January The Guardian newspaper revealed that Twitter Inc. is being sued for over $136,260 in unpaid rent on its California Street branch in San Francisco after Elon Musk's takeover. The landlord of 650 California Street has filed a lawsuit seeking back rent, as well as payment of attorney’s fees and other expenses.

The Guardian went on to say:

The company’s headquarters are located at another San Francisco address, 1355 Market Street, where Twitter has also reportedly fallen behind on rent, according to the New York Times. 

In addition to not paying rent and laying off workers, Musk’s Twitter is also auctioning off high-end office furniture, kitchen equipment and other relics from the past, when Twitter had over 7,500 full-time workers around the world and free lunch and other office perks were common. Some three-quarters of Twitter’s employee base is estimated to have left the company, either because they were laid off, fired or quit. 

Among the items Twitter is auctioning off are a pizza oven, a 40-quart commercial kitchen floor mixer (retails for around $18,000; bidding starts at $25), and high-end designer furniture such as Eames chairs from Herman Miller and Knoll Diamond chairs that retail in the thousands. 

Even a Twitter bird statue (bidding starts at $25) and a neon Twitter bird light display (bidding starts at $50) are up for grabs in this fire sale-style auction reminiscent of the dotcom bust of the early 2000s when failed tech startups were selling off their decadent office wares.

In yet another reversal of Twitter Inc's established policies, Musk announced he will allow political advertising on the ailing platform commencing sometime in 2023. 

It is no coincidence that 2023 will see the contest between candidates seeking party endorsement heat up ahead of the November 2024 US presidential election.

Wall Street Journal, 4 January 2023:

Twitter Inc. plans to expand the political advertisements it allows on the social-media platform after banning most of them in 2019, in the latest policy change by new owner Elon Musk.

The company also said Tuesday that it is relaxing its policy for cause-based ads in the U.S., which are ads that call for people to take action, educate and raise awareness in connection with the following categories: civic engagement, economic growth, environmental stewardship or social-equity causes.

In the coming weeks, the company said it would "align our advertising policy with that of TV and other media outlets," according to tweets from the Twitter Safety account. It didn't specify what that means and said it would "share more details as this work progresses." Twitter didn't respond to a request for comment.

Twitter largely banned political ads in November 2019, taking the opposite approach of social-media competitor Facebook at the time. Jack Dorsey, who was then chief executive of Twitter, said of the decision: "We believe political message reach should be earned, not bought."

The policy came with some exceptions that allowed for ads in support of certain politics-related topics such as voter registration. At the time, political advertising represented only a small portion of Twitter's overall advertising revenue.

Advertising in general has been a heated topic since Mr. Musk completed his $44 billion takeover of the company in October. Like many social-media companies, most of Twitter's revenue comes from advertising -- in 2021, roughly 89% of the $5.1 billion that the business brought in was from ads.

Some companies paused ad spending on the platform after the takeover amid uncertainty over how Mr. Musk planned to run the company…..

But as of Dec. 18, about 70% of Twitter's top 100 ad spenders from before the takeover weren't spending on the platform, according to an analysis of data from research firm Pathmatics…..

Meanwhile, Musk's obsession with morphing Twitter into something other than a global social media platform sees this rumour about his engagement with Tesla Inc. surface.....

The New York Observer, 3 January 2023:

Elon Musk has reportedly named a deputy at Tesla amid shareholder pressure for him to resign as the electric carmaker’s CEO after its stock price tumbled 70 percent in 2022 and deliveries missed expectations. Zhu Xiaotong, who goes by Tom Zhu, is head of Tesla China and was promoted to oversee the company’s U.S. factories and sales operations in all of North America and Europe, Reuters reported today (Jan. 3).

Shareholders didn’t appear to think much of the news, as Tesla shares had fallen 13 percent by mid-afternoon.

An internal organizational chart reviewed by Reuters shows Zhu has retained his title as Tesla’s vice president for Greater China. But the new responsibilities in North America and Europe effectively make him the highest-level executive at Tesla after CEO Musk.

The promotion was confirmed by two anonymous sources who Reuters said had seen the new organizational chart. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment….

Tesla’s China chief is rumored to be Musk’s successor

Zhu, who graduated from university in 2004 and holds a New Zealand passport, according to Chinese tech news site 36kr, joined Tesla in 2014 from an infrastructure background. He was credited for growing production capacity significantly at Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory, which opened in 2019 and is now Tesla’s most productive plant in the world….

The New York Observer, 3 January 2023:

Elon Musk has reportedly named a deputy at Tesla amid shareholder pressure for him to resign as the electric carmaker’s CEO after its stock price tumbled 70 percent in 2022 and deliveries missed expectations. Zhu Xiaotong, who goes by Tom Zhu, is head of Tesla China and was promoted to oversee the company’s U.S. factories and sales operations in all of North America and Europe, Reuters reported today (Jan. 3).

Shareholders didn’t appear to think much of the news, as Tesla shares had fallen 13 percent by mid-afternoon.

An internal organizational chart reviewed by Reuters shows Zhu has retained his title as Tesla’s vice president for Greater China. But the new responsibilities in North America and Europe effectively make him the highest-level executive at Tesla after CEO Musk.

The promotion was confirmed by two anonymous sources who Reuters said had seen the new organizational chart. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment….

Tesla’s China chief is rumored to be Musk’s successor

Zhu, who graduated from university in 2004 and holds a New Zealand passport, according to Chinese tech news site 36kr, joined Tesla in 2014 from an infrastructure background. He was credited for growing production capacity significantly at Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory, which opened in 2019 and is now Tesla’s most productive plant in the world….

COVID-19 Pandemic in 2021: comparing Australia to four other OECD countries as at Sunday 12, Monday 13 & Tuesday 14 September 2021

Click on images to enlarge

DAILY NEW COVID-19 CASES

7 DAY ROLLING AVERAGE OF DAILY CASES

WEEKLY DEATHS

ESTIMATED INFECTION RATE

PERCENTAGE OF DELTA VARIANT IN INFECTION POOL

 

FATALITY RATE

DAILY COVID-19 TESTS

PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION FULLY VACCINATED

PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER RANKING

 

For updates see:

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus

Tweet of the Week

New Zealand today fell silent in honour of the mosque attacks' martyrs. Thank you PM @jacindaardern and New Zealand for your sincere empathy and support that has won the respect of 1.5 billion Muslims after the terrorist attack that shook the Muslim community around the world. pic.twitter.com/9LDvH0ybhD

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) March 22, 2019

The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 March 2019:

The world's tallest building has been lit up with a giant image of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern embracing a woman at the Kilbirnie mosque in Wellington.

The Burj Khalifa, an 829-metre-tall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, beamed out a photo taken by Wellington photographer Hagen Hopkins, as well as the Arabic word "salam" and its English translation, "peace".

Quotes of the Week

“Not sure if this has been posted but Jesus, this is wrong on levels yet to be described by science.”  [Jeremy Parkinson writing in Facebook on 9 November 2017 with regard to a US newspaper opinion piece describing New Zealand as being in the grip of the far right]

“The number of MPs and senators suspected of failing to obey the Constitution’s requirements on dual citizenship is now 28 to 30 by some counts, and only the High Court can rule on their status.”

 [journalist Malcolm Farr in news.com.au, 10 November 2017]


"What is #absurd is people who under our constitution are illegitimately elected to parliament think that the problem is with the constitution"  [mark‏ @Golfologest on Twitter, 11 November 2017]

Te Awa Tupua also known as the Whanganui River recognised as a living being by New Zealand

Photograph by Janette Asche

On 15 March 2017 the longest navigable river in New Zealand, Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui), was granted full rights as "an indivisible and living whole" (a living person) under the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) 2016 and will be represented by two officials, one from the Whanganui iwi and the other from the Crown.

According to The Whanganui Chronicle the settlement included $80m in financial redress, $30m towards a contestable fund to improve the health of the river, $1m to establish the legal framework for the river and brings to closure the longest-running litigation in New Zealand history to an end – the Whanganui iwi having fought for recognition of relationship with the river since the 1870s.

Excerpt from the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill 2016 Explanatory Note:

Summary of settlement

Ruruku Whakatupua provides for the full and final settlement of all historical Treaty of Waitangi claims of Whanganui Iwi in relation to the River that arise from Crown acts or omissions before 21 September 1992.

Ruruku Whakatupua has the following 2 parts:

*Ruruku Whakatupua—Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua; and

*Ruruku Whakatupua—Te Mana o Te Iwi o Whanganui.

Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua

Ruruku Whakatupua—Te Mana o Te Awa Tupua is primarily directed towards the establishment of Te Pā Auroa, a new legal framework, which is centred on the legal recognition of Te Awa Tupua, comprising the River from the mountains to the sea, its tributaries, and all its physical and metaphysical elements, as an indivisible and living whole.

Te Pā Auroa comprises the following 7 principal elements:

*legal recognition of the Whanganui River as Te Awa Tupua and of Te Awa Tupua as a legal person (together, the Status); and

*Tupua te Kawa (Te Awa Tupua Values); and

*Te Pou Tupua, consisting of 2 persons, one appointed by the Crown and the other by iwi with interests in the Whanganui River, to a guardianship role to act on behalf of Te Awa Tupua; and

*Te Heke Ngahuru ki Te Awa Tupua, the River strategy; and

*Te Kōpuka nā Te Awa Tupua, the River Strategy Group responsible for developing the River strategy; and

*vesting of the Crown-owned parts of the bed of the Whanganui River in Te Awa Tupua; and

*Te Korotete o Te Awa Tupua, the Te Awa Tupua Fund. a $30 million contestable fund, the Te Awa Tupua fund.

The settlement provides that Te Pā Auroa is a relevant consideration for any person making statutory decisions relating to the Whanganui River or activities in the catchment affecting the River. Te Pā Auroa also contains legal weighting provisions that specify how decision makers will be required to "recognise and provide for" the Status and Values and "have particular regard to" the River Strategy when exercising and performing functions, powers, and duties under legislation listed in the Bill.

Other Te Awa Tupua arrangements

In addition to the key elements of Te Pā Auroa outlined above, it also provides for—

*the protection of the name Te Awa Tupua against unauthorised commercial exploitation; and

*establishment of the Te Awa Tupua register, maintained by Te Pou Tupua, of hearing commissioners who may be nominated for the register by Whanganui Iwi. Local authorities must consult the register when considering appointments to hear certain resource consent applications relating to the Whanganui River; and

*a collaborative process to identify how to improve the regulation of activities on the surface of the River, involving iwi with interests in the Whanganui River, Maritime New Zealand, and central and local government; and

*establishment of a fisheries co-ordination group (involving iwi with interests in the Whanganui River, the New Zealand Fish and Game Council, and central and local government) to advance the protection, management, and sustainable use of freshwater fisheries in the catchment; and

*a collaborative process to explore the development of a regulatory mechanism to provide for customary food gathering, involving iwi with interests in the Whanganui River and the Ministry for Primary Industries; and

*interim custodian arrangements instead of those that apply under section 11 of the Protected Objects Act 1975, giving Te Awa Tupua interim custody of taonga tūturu found in the Whanganui River.

To support Te Pā Auroa, the Crown will pay—

*$30 million to Te Awa Tupua for the establishment of Te Korotete o Te Awa Tupua, the Te Awa Tupua Fund; and

*$200,000 per year for 20 years as a contribution to the costs associated with the exercise of its functions by Te Pou Tupua; and

*$430,000 to the Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council for the development of the River Strategy.

What the New Zealand Herald is telling its readers about Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott

Having a wife who hails from New Zealand does not confer an advantage on British-born Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

The New Zealand Herald 3 August 2013:

…derided as the Mad Monk for his Jesuit past and moral conservatism, and parodied for elephantine ears and his red surf lifesaving budgie smugglers, Abbott remains one of the most unpopular leaders in the polling history of federal politics.

Even many Liberal supporters do not like him. Most, like the rest of the nation's voting public, would far prefer Malcolm Turnbull, ousted by Abbott by a single vote in a bitterly contested 2009 challenge.

He trailed former Prime Minister Julia Gillard in both popularity and as preferred prime minister for much of her time in office, despite the Opposition's all but unshakable ascendancy over the Government. He is now a distant second to Rudd…

…Abbott's portrait is one of a shallow and ruthlessly ambitious politician, lacking in conviction and policy….

Voters have trouble deciding how Abbott would emerge as prime minister. In Opposition he has been contradictory, divisive and ruthless, his style marked by negativity, simplistic sloganeering and a policy vacuum.

His knifing of Turnbull was every bit as nasty as Gillard's assassination of Rudd. And, like Gillard, he has backflipped on policy ranging from parental leave to public funding and parliamentary pairing.

He relentlessly pursued former Labor MP Craig Thomson over allegations of fraud. But he refused similar condemnation of Liberal trangressors….

How far Abbott's moral and social values would influence government policy concerns many voters. He refuses to allow his MPs a conscience vote on gay marriage, for example, and has a historical list of radically conservative quotes on issues such as the monarchy, climate change, premarital sex, and women's rights, roles and employment….

It is the uncertainty that hurts Abbott - and the reality that, to paraphrase the late disgraced US President Richard Nixon, he doesn't have Julia Gillard to kick around any more.

Aotearoa passes legislation establishing legal same sex marriage

The New Zealand Parliament, Pāremata Aotearoa, recognizes the importance of human dignity and civil rights for all

http://youtu.be/DW4DXOAXF8U

Christchurch Earthquake Appeal: you've seen the news video - now help the cast

You’ve watched the 24 hour news coverage, spoken with friends and relatives – now donate a dollar or two to the New Zealand Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.

Salvation Army Australian donations online here.

Australian Red Cross online donations here.

Westpac Bank is accepting donations at local branches and customers can also donate via online banking.

ANZ Bank is accepting donations at local branches – Account name: Red Cross New Zealand Earthquake Appeal, BSB: 013 265, Account: 4768 62394

Commonwealth Bank accepting donations at local branches and via NetBank - Account name: Commonwealth Bank New Zealand Earthquake Appeal, BSB: 06 2000, Account number: 1405 2924

Now THIS is illegal immigration :-D

From Aunty ABC this week:
"Australia's deadly red-back spider has established itself in New Zealand, posing a significant risk to humans as it threatens to colonise major cities, researchers have found.
The venomous red-back, a relative of the black widow, is thought to have hitched a ride to New Zealand on imported goods from Australia.
It has established itself at sites on both the North and South islands, scientists said."

Pic from Google Images

'Losing to win' a pandora's box for bowls

Here's Iluka resident Jim Brigginshaw's take on allegations that Kiwi lawn bowlers folded in a game against lowly-ranked Thailand in last month's Asia-Pacific championships in Malaysia to ensure rivals Canada would be eliminated.

Brigginshaw, who has a regular column in The Northern Star, wrote:

IF, as Bowls Australia chief executive Dalrymple is reported as saying, there's nothing in the rules of bowls to stop a team deliberately losing a game, it's time there was.

Assuming he's been quoted correctly, his wishy-washy response to allegations against the New Zealand national team is less than reassuring that this blot has no place in our sport.

Attributed to him are comments such as 'hard to find fault', 'people willing to push the limits', and the top clanger of all, 'there's a question of whether it's in the spirit of the game'.

A question? There's no question - if bowls has degenerated to the stage where we have to think whether to ask questions about the legality, or even propriety, of what clearly is a breach of sporting integrity, heaven help us.

The difficulty, of course, is deciding when a team is not performing to its ability. But if there is obvious evidence of it, the culprits should have the book thrown at them.

The New Zealand team says it was a legitimate loss. The official inquiry will have difficulty proving otherwise.

These allegations gave Bowls Australia an opportunity to take a strong stance against deliberately losing a game. Instead, we got a weak-kneed response.

Source: The Northern Star

Images from abc.net.au and bowlsnz.co.nz

Across the ditch they refuse to make the same Internet censorship blunder as Rudd & Conroy

The NZ National Business Review Friday 20th March:

"Those nervously watching the chaos across the Tasman can breathe a sigh of relief.
"We have been following the internet filtering debate in Australia but have no plans to introduce something similar here," says Communications and IT minister Steven Joyce.
"The technology for internet filtering causes delays for all internet users. And unfortunately those who are determined to get around any filter will find a way to do so. Our view is that educating kids and parents about being safe on the internet is the best way of tackling the problem."
In October, Australian Communications and IT minister Stephen Conroy announced a $A42 million plan to make internet content filtering compulsory for all Australian internet service providers."

Kiwi speak for beginners

Credit: Thanks to Media Works Radio, New Zealand

Click image to enlarge