Daily Archives: February 25, 2020

Taking the Helm: by Capt. Paul Ferdais

I recently had a meeting with Susan, a woman whos moved into the chief stew position for a 100m vessel with lots of crew under her. Since shes never had a position of this scale before, she wanted to know how to be a leader who has empathy and understanding for her people, but also enough toughness to put the boat first. She said her basic struggle is finding a balance between being humane and being the leader the boat needs.

Theres no question this is a challenge because there is no one, perfect way to create this kind of balance. A lot of being successful in this type of situation comes down to personality, as well as how much people respect or dont respect you.

One way to approach the challenge is to sit down with your team members one at a time and lay out your expectations of their performance when they do their job. Discuss with them at the beginning what they need to demonstrate during a set period of time say a month, or three months to go from where they are today to where they will meet all expectations. At this point, clearly outline the consequences of not achieving the expectations.

If its a new hire, this may be the first three-month trial period in the role, or something similar. As you go through the meeting, make sure you write down whats been agreed upon so everyone knows what theyre responsible for.

Meet again at the end of the set time to go over what was agreed to. Theyll either have made good on their side of the arrangement or not. The balance here is that crew cant blame you if they have not done what they said theyd do. This is one way to be tough and humane in the role.

Ive found the biggest impediment to getting people to do great work is being in their face too much. When we over-manage our team, we dont let them find their own ways to tackle a problem and perhaps find solutions we never thought of.

The point of meeting individually with team members is to set up goals and say go make it happen, then stand back and let them do their thing. Well quickly find out what theyre good at and not good at. Generally speaking, people will find their own ways to get things done if theyre allowed to do it their way.

In management discussions, we dont hear much about the word empathy among all the other, more common buzzwords that are thrown around: leadership, authenticity, grit, motivation, etc. Real empathy is impossible to fake. People know when were not genuine.

Perhaps the easiest way to demonstrate empathy is to show you actually care about what the other person is going through. This comes across when co-workers know weve walked a day in their shoes, having done the job theyve done.

As mentioned earlier, respect is a big determinant of success with our people. The reality of respect is that its earned, not commanded. Even though Susan has the title and responsibility for her department, shell have to behave in ways that develop respect from team members.

While there are many ways to grow and develop respect, a big part of being a leader is working with people we may not necessarily like. Rise above any negative feelings as much as possible and remember the golden rule: If you have nothing good to say, dont say anything at all. Because if you speak ill of someone you dont like, itll get around to them.

Leadership is a way of being. Its about behavior and how we interact with the people around us. We earn respect through actions, not by being the smartest person or flipping on a switch to turn on a technique or style in the moment which we then turn off. When we lead our team, no matter the department or the boat as a whole, how we are as a person determines if others follow.

Capt. Paul Ferdais, skipper of a motor yacht, has a masters degree in leadership and previously ran a leadership training company for yacht crew. Comments are welcome below.

Go here to read the rest:

Taking the Helm: Balance high expectations with empathy, respect - The Triton

A warm day in winter used to be a rare and uplifting relief.

Now such days are routine reminders of climate change all the more foreboding when they coincide with news stories about unprecedented wildfires, record-breaking rain bombs, or the accelerated melting of polar ice sheets.

Where, then, can one turn for hope in these dark months of the year?

Yale Climate Connections turned to a surprisingly long list of new and recent titles that explore how we can effectively respond to climate change while enhancing our health and happiness. Some of these books call for better measures of economic vitality and social progress. Others call for re-interpretations of religious creeds. Many start by acknowledging our bitter, partisan politics. But all end on a note of hope and how to better sustain it.

As always the descriptions are adapted from copy provided by the publishers. When two dates of publication are listed, the second refers to the release of the paperback edition of the title.

Happier People, Healthier Planet: How Putting Well-Being First Would Help Sustain Life on Earth, by Teresa Belton (Silverwood Books 2014, 369 pages, $23.49 paperback)

Happier People, Healthier Planet addresses the diametrically opposed issues of personal wellbeing and ecological destruction as inseparable concerns. It shows how attending to what really matters for personal thriving will also protect the environment. Most human beings are strongly attracted to material possessions, novelty, and ever greater comfort and convenience. Yet paradoxically, for those with a decent basic standard of living, growing affluence has not resulted in increased subjective wellbeing: overconsumption does not make us happy. It is perfectly possible to live a rewarding life without consuming more than we need, and we must all find out how to do so if we are to preserve the hospitality of the Earth. This book investigates the factors that are likely to encourage a positive preference for sustainable lifestyles.

Finntopia: What We Can Learn from the Worlds Happiest Country, by Danny Dorling and Annika Koljonen (Columbia University Press, July 2020, 192 pages, $25.00 paperback)

In 2018, the World Happiness Report ranked Finland the worlds happiest country. The Nordic Model has long been touted as the aspiration for social and public policy in Europe and North America, but what is it about Finland that makes the country so successful and seemingly such a great place to live? Finland clearly has problems of its own for example, a high level of gun ownership and rising rates of suicide which can make Finns skeptical of their ranking, but its consistently high performance across a range of well-being indicators does raise fascinating questions. In the quest for the best of all possible societies, Danny Dorling and Annika Koljonen explore what we might learn from Finnish success and what they might usefully learn from us.

The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here, by Hope Jahren (Penguin/Random, March 2020, 224 pages, $14.99)

Hope Jahren is an award-winning scientist, a brilliant writer, a passionate teacher, and one of the seven billion people with whom we share this earth. In The Story of More, she illuminates the link between human habits and our imperiled planet. She takes us through the science behind the key inventions from electric power to large-scale farming that, even as they help us, release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere like never before. She explains the current and projected consequences of global warming from superstorms to rising sea levels and the actions that we all can take to fight back. Both a primer on the mechanisms of global change and a personal narrative given to us in Jahrens inimitable voice, The Story of More is the essential pocket primer on climate change that will leave an indelible impact on everyone who reads it.

Climate of Hope: How Cities, Businesses and Citizens Can Save the Planet, by Michael Bloomberg and Carl Pope (St. Martins Press 2017, 272 pages, $26.99)

The 2016 election left many people who are concerned about the environment fearful that progress on climate change would come screeching to a halt. But not Michael Bloomberg and Carl Pope. In Climate of Hope, Bloomberg, an entrepreneur and former mayor of New York City, and Pope, a lifelong environmental leader offer an optimistic look at the challenge of climate change, the solutions they believe hold the greatest promise, and the practical steps that are necessary to achieve them. Sharing their own stories from government, business, and advocacy, Bloomberg and Pope provide a road map for tackling the most complicated challenge the world has ever faced. Along the way, they turn the usual way of thinking about climate change on its head: from top down to bottom up, from costs to benefits, and from fear to hope.

See also: Atmosphere of Hope: Searching for Solutions to Climate Change, by Tim Flannery (Harper Collins 2015/2016, 272 pages, $16.00 paperback) and Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?, by Bill McKibben (Henry Holt & Co. 2019, 304 pages $28.00).

Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future, by Mary Robinson (Bloomsbury 2018, 176 pages, $26.00)

Holding her first grandchild in her arms in 2003, Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and the UNs Special Envoy on Climate Change, was struck by the uncertainty of the world he had been born into. The faceless, shadowy menace of climate change had become, in an instant, deeply personal. Mary Robinsons new mission would lead her all over the world and to a heartening revelation: that an irrepressible driving force in the battle for climate justice could be found at the grassroots level, mainly among women, many of them mothers and grandmothers like herself. Powerful and deeply humane, Climate Justice is a stirring manifesto on one of the most pressing issues of our time, and a lucid, affirmative, and well-argued case for hope.

The Archipelago of Hope: Wisdom and Resilience from the Edge of Climate Change, by Gleb Raygorodetsky (Pegasus Books 2017/2018, 336 pages, $17.95 paperback)

Climate change is already here. Nobody knows this better than Indigenous peoples who, having developed an intimate relationship with ecosystems over generations, have observed these changes for decades. Gleb Raygorodetsky shows how these communities are actually islands of biological and cultural diversity in the ever-rising sea of development and urbanization. They are an archipelago of hope as we enter the Anthropocene, for here lies humankinds best chance to remember our roots and how to take care of the Earth. These communities are implementing creative solutions to meet these modern challenges. Raygorodetskys prose resonates with their positive, adaptive, and spiritual hope.

The Climate Swerve: Reflections on Mind, Hope, and Survival, by Robert Jay Lifton (The New Press 2017, 192 pages, $22.95)

Over his long career, National Book Award-winning psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton has grappled with the profound effects of nuclear war, terrorism, and genocide. Now he shifts to climate change, which, Lifton writes, presents us with what may be the most demanding and unique psychological task ever required of humankind. Yet a large swathe of humanity has numbed themselves to this reality. In this lucid and moving book that recalls the works of Rachel Carson and Jonathan Schell, Lifton explains how we might call upon the human mind our greatest evolutionary asset to translate a growing species awareness, or climate swerve, into action to sustain our selves, our plant and our civilization.

The Hard Work of Hope: Climate Change in the Age of Trump, by Robert William Sandford and Jon ORiordan (Rocky Mountain Books 2017, 168 pages, $16.00)

Building on events that have transpired since the Paris climate conference in December 2015, The Hard Work of Hope, Rocky Mountain Books latest manifesto, emphasizes three themes: the growing urgency for global action regarding climate change; the fact that future development must not just avoid causing damage but strive to be ecologically and socially restorative; and the reality that effective solutions require changes to technology, restoration of biodiversity and increased public awareness. Though contemporary politics and the state of the environment seem grim in this post-truth world, there will always be hope. But that hope will require hard work by everyone if our planet is to remain a desirable place to live in a warming world.

Where Is the Hope? An Anthology of Short Climate Change Plays, edited by Chantal Bilodeau (Climate Change Theatre Action 2018, pages, $35.00 paperback)

Where is the Hope? An Anthology of Short Climate Change Plays is a collection of 50 short plays by writers from all over the world, commissioned for Climate Change Theatre Action 2017. A creative response to the question How can we inspire people and turn the challenges of climate change into opportunities? the plays offer a diversity of perspectives and artistic approaches in telling stories that may point to a just and sustainable future.

We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast, by Jonathan Safran Foer (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux 2019, 288 pages, $25.00)

Some people reject the fact, overwhelmingly supported by scientists, that our planet is warming because of human activity. But do those of us who accept the reality of human-caused climate change truly believe it? In We Are the Weather, Jonathan Safran Foer [explains that] the task of saving the planet will involve a great reckoning with ourselves a reckoning Foer illustrates by relating his Jewish grandmothers experience of the Holocaust, taking great personal risks to flee Poland before it was too late to do so. Now we have turned our planet into a farm for growing animal products, and the consequences are similarly catastrophic. Only collective action will save our home and way of life. And it all starts with what we eat and dont eat for breakfast.

Caring for Creation: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis, edited by Alice Stamwitz (Franciscan Media 2016, 192 pages, $22.99)

Since his inaugural Mass in March 2013, Pope Francis has frequently reminded a global audience that care for creation is among his highest priorities. The writings, homilies, prayers, talks, and even tweets of Pope Francis in this book gather his most important and inspiring words about our shared responsibility to protect, nurture, and care for our common home. The planet is in peril, the pope is telling us, along with the well being of the poor who depend on the earths natural resources. Still, his message is always ultimately one of hope. In Caring for Creation, Pope Franciss words reveal that he believes we can move towards a new kind of conversion a higher level of consciousness, action, and advocacy that will spark a bold cultural revolution.

See also: Encyclical on Climate Change and Inequality: On Care for Our Common Home, by Pope Francis, with an Introduction by Naomi Oreskes (Melville House 2015, 192 pages, $20.00 paperback)

Climate Church, Climate World: How People of Faith Must Work for Change, by Jim Antal (Rowman & Littlefield 2018, 242 pages, $25.00)

Climate Church, Climate World argues that climate change is the greatest moral challenge humanity has ever faced. Hunger, refugees, poverty, inequality, deadly viruses, war climate change multiplies all forms of global social injustice. Environmental leader Reverend Jim Antal presents a compelling case that its time for the church to meet this moral challenge, just as the church addressed previous moral challenges. After describing how we have created the dangers our planet now faces, Antal urges the church to embrace a new vocation, one focused on collective salvation and an expanded understanding of the Golden Rule (Golden Rule 2.0). He suggests ways people of faith can reorient what they prize through new approaches to worship, preaching, witnessing and other spiritual practices that honor creation and cultivate hope.

In a similar vein, see also the following religious titles:

Down to Earth: Christian Hope and Climate Change, by Richard A. Floyd (Wipf and Stock 2015, 144 pages, $17.00 paperback)

Eco-Reformation: Grace and Hope for a Planet in Peril, edited by Lisa E. Dahill and Jim B. Martin-Schramm (Cascade Books 2016, 306 pages, $36.00 paperback)

Hope in the Age of Climate Change: Creation Care this Side of the Resurrection, by Chris Doran (Cascade Books 2017, 258 pages, $31.00)

Love in a Time of Climate Change: Honoring Creation, Establishing Justice, by Sharon Delgado (Fortress Press 2017, 226 pages, $29.00 paperback)

The Spirit of Hope: Theology for a World in Peril, by Jurgen Moltman (Westminster/John Knox Press 2019, 232 pages, $30.00 paperback)

See the article here:

New and recent books about hope in a time of climate change - Yale Climate Connections

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is a global tech behemoth largely driven by the growth of its eCommerce business. They have long boasted about their rock-solid customer support being one of the most important cornerstones of their booming business all over the world. However, a recent incident Dazeinfo has come across, paints quite a different picture of the ground reality.

A recent dispute between a frequent customer of Amazon and the company itself has brought to light some shady and not very ethical practices by the company when it comes to their customer support and delivery agents.

Deepanker who claims that he does most of his online shopping from Amazon itself and has also subscribed to their Prime benefits, along with the Amazon Pay ICICI card believed that he was a loyal Amazon customer.

He placed an order for an Echo Dot 3rd Generation which was bound to reach his location by February 10th according to the estimates of Amazons Prime membership delivery. On the morning of 10th February, Deepanker received a message which stated that the product was out for delivery with an OTP included for receiving the product from the delivery personnel.

And that was the beginning of ordeal Deepankar was supposed to go through. But on a larger picture, this also exposed the unethical business practice that could easily create chaos among the shoppers owing to rising online frauds and sceptical nature of online shoppers in India.

The No. 1 thing that has made us successful by far is the obsessive compulsion over the customer as opposed to obsession over the competitor, Jeff Bezos the Cheif Executive Officer of Amazon reportedly said that on 13th September 2019, at the Economic Club of Washington.

Now, unfortunately for Deepanker, he wasnt home on the 10th to receive the order. However, he was taken aback by shock when a notification from Amazons app showed that the product has been successfully delivered. By his own claim, he found it a bit odd as there was no one else at home to have received the order. Therefore, he went ahead and called his neighbours who said they havent received any package on his behalf as well. More importantly, no one beside him had access to the transactional OTP he received via the SMS to complete the delivery.

Deepanker proceeded to contact Amazons customer support via email regarding this matter wherein he received quite a shocking message from their side.

The response he received via email from Amazons customer support executive Dazeinfo has obtained a copy as well clearly mentions that sometimes the courier agent erroneously updates the tracking as Delivered, while the package might actually be still on its way. Hence we suggest that you wait until 12 February 2020 as we expect the package to be delivered by then.

This is quite a shocking revelation about the ground reality of the quality of customer support that Amazon has been exercising. The customer support executive who was well aware of the fact that the delivery partners are falsely and intentionally updating the delivery status which, in turn, could create a panic among the Amazons customers found nothing wrong in employing such practices.

The fact that he went on supporting delivery partner in spite of being aware of the consequences is quite appalling.

After this particular revelation, Deepanker kept on pursuing this matter by exchanging several emails but soon reached a dead end on February 19th wherein he was told they (Amazon) have found that his package was in fact delivered intact after their logistics experts have conducted a multi-layered investigation and therefore, they will not be proceeding with a refund or a concession.

Amazon person ensured that sometimes delivery guys do this and suggested me to wait. I had faith in Amazons services. But the real surprise was their investigation that blamed me only, Deepankar informed to Dazeinfo.

The whole incident points to an even more serious concern Unethical Delivery Practices that is affecting hundreds of thousands of Amazon customers in India.

Deepankar is not the only one who went into the panic mode after receiving the delivery notification followed by the email from Amazon customer support team supporting the delivery partner. There could be hundreds of thousands of customers of Amazon who go through a similar kind of ordeal every day.

Nishant Misra, who happens to be another regular customer of Amazon India, also shared similar kind of experience he had to go through a few weeks back.

He, however, insisted to change the Delivery Status until the product is delivered.

Well, such incidents are a clear testament to the fact that Jeff Bezos might not completely be aware of the kind of customer support that his e-commerce giant is practising in its entirety.

This particular incident raises a lot of serious questions regarding Amazons internal operations, particularly those involving their customer support agents and delivery partners.

These are grave questions that need to be answered by Amazon right away.

Amazon has pumped in US$600 million (Rs 4,400 Cr) to strengthen its presence in India. While it was not very clear how exactly the funds would be utilised but such exposure puts Amazon under humiliating, rather tough, situation to deal with.

It is a no-brainer that the reputation of any and every company is built by the positive feedback of its consumers and thats why phrases such as Customer is King and The Customer Is Always Right were coined.

Amazon as a company doesnt enjoy an exception to this golden rule. Therefore, we expect Amazon to respond back with a reasonable explanation to such huge gaps in their customer support as well as address the security loopholes related to their logistics partners.

Hopefully, Amazon will take notice of these ground realities and fix them as soon as its possible.

See original here:

Is Amazon Hand In Glove With Fraudulent Delivery Partners in India? - Dazeinfo

Everyone has their worst/favourite episode of Dont Tell The Bride the show that has salved many a hangover. For our money, the guy who took the wedding to Las Vegas and couldnt afford to take the brides brother takes some beating but we'll reserve judgement until tonight.

Because E4 (who adopted the show after it left BBC Three) have staked their claim big on tonights episode, which they say is so good (read: bad) that theyve extended it by half an hour into a 90-minute show.

With its combination of cringeing (so hard you sometimes have to watch from behind a pillow), romance (yes, there is some; we've cried before) and - mainly - the hilarity of men making inevitably worse and worse decisions in front of your very eyes, the show has become a stable of UK televisual life in the THIRTEEN YEARS it's been on air.

Tonights show features Andy and Anna. She, of course, has her heart set on a quintessential white wedding in an English country manor. Andy, on the other hand, wants to honour his fiances Ukrainian heritage and sets to work on planning an authentic wedding... in Ukraine. (Plus, he thinks it will earn him some brownie points with his soon-to-be mother-in-law.)

Of COURSE he does.

Except he doesnt speak a work of Ukranian. Of COURSE he doesn't.

As is the eternal way of Dont Tell The Bride, Andy spends a fortune on his stag do, sends Anna and her hens to the local snooker hall with 100 and then doesnt have enough budget for the majority of their friends and family to fly to the wedding.

Andy and Anna's bridesmaid dresses E4

No friends and family is one thing a terrible, terrible thing. But we think - big claim - these might be some of the worst bridesmaid and wedding dresses ever.

For one things, the bridesmaids have to try theirs on in an airport toilet by what looks like the luggage carousel.

The wedding dress he chooses costs a whopping 150 (the average cost is apparently 1,385). But while were all for grabbing a high street or ASOS wedding dress, this isnt that. The beading, for instance, comes away in the bride's hands.

Andy and Anna's wedding dress E4

We think Anna and her mum might agree with us (we're just going to say, give Anna's mum her own TV show pronto... )

Don't Tell The Bride wedding dress E4

Dont Tell The Bride has been on our screens since 2007. There was national outcry about losing the show when BBC Three was taken off the air in 2014 to go online, so it was picked up by BBC One and then Sky One before finding a home on E4 in 2017.

And as ever - no matter how many times we tune in, or how many times we think things like, 'Surely she's not going to like this underwater/parade of pigs/Kylie and Jason/inflatable assault course themed wedding?' - we will tune in tonight asking the all-important question: will they actually make it down the aisle?

Don't forget, though, that only one wedding has ever been called off - Yanis and Shanise from Birmingham's wedding was halted by producers, when they broke the golden rule of the show (the one, real, actual rule) and secretly communicated with each other.

Yes - as far as we can tell, not only did the Vegas wedding go ahead, but they are still together...

The extended Dont Tell The Bride: Andy and Anna is on tonight (Monday 24 Feb) at 7.30pm on E4.

READ MORE: Till Death Do Us... Divorce? What's It Really Like To Be On Don't Tell The Bride

READ MORE: What Do You Do If You Hate Your Bridesmaid's Dress?

Slide 2 of 33

Queen Bey acted for bestie Kelly Rowland when she married Tim Witherspoon in early May 2014.

Jessica became a bridesmaid for the second time this week when she slipped into this beautiful royal blue gown for her publicist Lauren Auslander's wedding in Rhode Island.

Keira caused a media storm when she was pictured at her brother's wedding as a bridesmaid. The lovely bride doesn't seem too put out that all the attention's on the Hollywood A-lister standing next to her.

This amazing image sees Lady Gaga looking quite normal - no Kermit dress, no meat slippers (as far as we can tell) - and doesn't she just look lovely?

The Saturdays' singer joined her siblings to celebrate her sister's big day. Her dress and hair is utter perfection, no?

Here's Prince Harry's ex at one of them posh society weddings. She looks nice.

Claudia 'Human Fringe' Winkleman was the maid of honour at best friend Victoria Coran's wedding to David Mitchell.

Back before she was all over our TV screens being all "Get the London look" and pouting, the daughter of Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger was asked to be a bridesmaid at Leah Wood's wedding. She was joined by nine other bridesmaids and flower girls, along with celebrities like Kate Moss and, er, Cilla Black.

Here's Georgia with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Alice Dellal at Leah Wood's wedding.

Jessica and husband Cash Warren formed a married-couple partnership with her as the bridesmaid and him as the best man at a close friend's wedding.

At sister Khloe's wedding to Lamar Odom, the whole Kardashian klan were out in full force. Kourtney wore a deep purple...

...Kim was in a dark lilac shade...

...While Kendall wore pastel purple.

While we probably wouldn't pick brown as one of our wedding themes (we haven't really decided which colours yet, get back to us in a few years, yeah?), it does suit Jessica. Justin Timberlake looks pretty dapper, too.

What's with the black? We do love those cut-out shoulders though.

TV presenter Miquita didn't look too happy to be chief bridesmaid at Lily Allen's wedding to Sam Cooper. Let's hope she cheered up a bit inside.

Arguably the highlight of the 2011 Royal Wedding was Pippa Middleton arriving in that carriage, then getting out. A million men uttered involuntary gasps. A million women immediately got online to buy Fit-Flops in the hopes of attaining such a perfect arse.

And there's the back of that dress in all its glory. Majestic.

Anyone remember 'media personality' Rebecca Loos? Nope? No-one? Let's move on.

Ooh, look at Ms Brook. We like her and the bride's co-ordinating one-shoulder deets, although not sure black is the best choice for a summer wedding...

Another black bridesmaid dress? This time it's former Atomic Kitten Jenny Frost wearing it to perfection.

Yes, we had to double and triple-check this picture too, but it really is Sharon Osbourne acting as maid of honour at Carmen Electra's wedding in 2003.

Ahahhahahahahaha. Hahahhahahaha. Ahahahahhahahahaha. Haaaaaa.

Tee hee, it's nine-year-old Posh and she's actually smiling (front row middle). Adorbs.

Before the Royal Wedding, there was a Royal at a wedding. A young Zara looks very sweet in this bridal gown.

Incredible: vivid metallic lilac gowns, massive golf umbrella to shield the bridal party from the paps. Love it.

Queen Bey acted for bestie Kelly Rowland when she married Tim Witherspoon in early May 2014.

Read more:

Is Andy The Worst Groom On Dont Tell The Bride Ever? Yes... Yes We Think So - Grazia

Editors NoteShadowproof editor Kevin Gosztola is in London for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assanges week-long extradition hearing.

Stay tuned to Shadowproof, as well as his Twitter, for coverage. And if you support our work and are able to help fund Kevins reporting, go here to donate.

John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer and whistleblower, who has been an advocate for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

On the weekly podcast I co-host, Unauthorized Disclosure, I asked him about Assanges one-week extradition hearing and what he expected. He discussed how he may overcome extradition from the United Kingdom but face extradition from Australia after he is deported from the U.K.

We also discussed what he described as the willful ignorance of United States media when it comes to acknowledging how journalists were targeted by an espionage operation conducted against Assange on behalf of the CIA.

Below is an edited transcript of our conversation.

GOSZTOLA: Let me ask you about Julian Assange. Youve been doing some advocacy. Youve supported Julian, and specifically, the latest development we know is that were learning more information about what is going on with the Spanish security company that engaged in espionage against Julian while he was in the Ecuador embassy. Weve got the first actual admission in the Spanish high court from David Morales, who is the owner that was involved in carrying out the espionage, planting these microphones, saying that he did it.

We know he made trips to Alexandria, in the D.C. area, where this grand jury is located. So were going to have this extradition hearing coming up. Im interested in your thoughts about what this first hearing is going to be in February, and Im going to actually be there to report. It will focus on Ecuadors right-wing government and their attacks on him while he was in the embassy, but then its also going to focus on how these Espionage Act charges are political offenses not recognized around the world.

KIRIAKOU: Yes, this first round in February is short, but its very, very important for the reasons that youve cited. Were going to be able to hear for the very first time what exactly this company, and by extension the CIA and the FBI, were doing to entrap Julian. We really dont know what the story is other than what weve read in outlets like El Pais and frankly at Shadowproof, two outlets that have covered this.

The real hearing, the meat of the hearing, is going to be later on in the spring, and could stretch all the way into the first week of July. Thats the extradition hearing, the extradition request. [Note: As of now, the extradition hearing is scheduled from end of May to mid-June.]

Now, there is a precedent. There are a few precedents actually for U.K. courts denying U.S. requests for extradition based on the United Nations determination that the way the U.S. uses solitary confinement is a form of torture. There are two cases where two different menone was a terrorism suspect, one was a drug smugglerthey were subject to extradition hearings, and the judges ruled they would likely be placed in solitary confinement. The United Nations says the U.S. practice is a form of torture, and because of European Union law at the time and British law opposing torture, that the extraditions could not go forward.

So Julians attorneys think that they have a real shot at this. Hes already been placed in solitary confinement in the U.K., and we saw what happened to his mental state. Whats going to happen if they put him solitary confinement in the U.S., and you know they will because hes such a high-profile prisoner. And thats what they do to high-profile prisoners. So I actually think that he has a shot.

Now, with that said, what happens if hes not extradited to the United States? Hell be expelled from the U.K. because hes already done his lousy, measly ten months on the bail jumping. So theyll expel him from the U.K. Hes an Australian national so hell likely be expelled to Australia. And whats to stop the United States from just asking the Australians to extradite him and we start this process all over?

So Im worried frankly. Im worried for the guy.

GOSZTOLA: Thats true. And theres one realist response, and I feel like throwing out not just as advocacy but for people who have low amounts of information. Ill say I believe that quite clearly if there was such a thing as a Bernie Sanders administration this would all end

KIRIAKOU: I agree.

GOSZTOLA: Because theres no reason to pursue Julian Assange policy-wise. Theres no way the Justice Department would want to open this can of worms. Even if Bernie Sanders is not going to say a kind word about Julian Assange, it doesnt matter. Hes not going to want to pursue extradition of this dissident journalist.

But the other thing I want to have you close on isWe spoke about this a while ago. I was blown over by the espionage operation that was conducted against journalists and people who visited Assange at the Ecuador embassy. And I think that what were missing in all of this is any sense among our media or our press that this is actually an attack on journalism.

KIRIAKOU: Oh yeah.

GOSZTOLA: If they are self-aware, its really hard for me to tell. There is a great clip of Jim Acosta at CNN being asked about the Julian Assange case. Its hard for us to tell. This is the guy, right, that is constantly complaining about the Trump administration revoking his press pass. Or not letting him into the White House. Or harassing him or being mean to him while he tries to ask a question of Donald Trump, even though hes trying to put on a show for CNN while interrupting him while hes speaking.

I cant tell if theyre not aware or if they just dont care. Its hard to tell if theyre just inept and arent making connections, or if they really in truly believe this case is never going to impact them. Im wondering what youre viewpoint is, but quite clearly when you look at what happened around the embassy, this was a targeted operation against journalists that wanted to cover Julian Assange.

KIRIAKOU: Oh yeah. Its willful ignorance really.

I agree. This was a well thought-out operation. It was an operation against Julian Assange, but really it was an operation against these journalists, too. Which is funny to me because when I was at the CIA, we had this golden rule that came out of the bad-old days of the 1970s, and that was that you leave journalists alone. Right? The CIA got burned in the Church Committee hearings and the Pike Committee hearings in the 1970s because of the way they used and exploited journalists. And you cant do that anymore.

Well, either policy has changed, which I think is likely. Or the policy was changed for Julian Assange. Somebody was able to argue successfully that this wasnt a targeting of a journalist. It was a target of Assange by using journalists. Either way, its just rotten. And its something that nobody, literally nobody, on the Senate or House intelligence committees has even raised, let alone addressed.

Excerpt from:

John Kiriakou On Week-Long Assange Hearing: World Will Hear For First Time About Espionage Operation Against Him - Shadowproof

Rejoice! Its time for F1 to roar back into life again, as the teams descend on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the start of pre-season testing on February 19. Heres what to keep your eye on in Week 1 in Spain

WATCH pre-season testing on F1 TV Pro

Yes, most of the teams have either shown off pictures of their new car, or their new livery on an old car, or even had their new car out on track for a shakedown. But day 1 of pre-season testing will see the likes of Haas and Renault officially show their cars off in the flesh for the very first time, before theyre sent out onto the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Doing that helps each of those teams designers get the longest possible lead time on their cars before hitting the circuit. But more than that, the traditional pit lane launches are a good way to get peoples juices flowing before the on-track action commences.

READ MORE: Racing Point boss predicts podiums and has cheeky jab at Grosjean at 2020 launch

Pre-season testings one golden rule will be even more critical in 2020: dont crash the bloody car! Why? Well, with just six days of running in Barcelona before the teams head to Australia down from eight in 2019 the effect of any limits on track time will be magnified. And if its the drivers themselves who limit the running, theyll find themselves returning to garages full of distinctly unimpressed mechanics.

That limit on track time is set to be particularly challenging for Nicholas Latifi and Esteban Ocon, by the way, considering both will be trying to get up to speed with largely unfamiliar machinery especially Latifi, whos beginning his first full season of F1 with Williams. And the Canadian has the sympathy of Alex Albon, himself a rookie this time 12 months ago. Last year, I would have struggled, he said. Six days is not a lot!

READ MORE: 7 of the cleverest deceptions in F1 testing history

Delays like the one caused by Albon last year will be unwelcome!

Assuming they can keep their cars out of the gravel traps and running smoothly, expect to see teams trying to max out their mileage as much as possible in Week 1 in Barca, given the restrictions on testing while the second driver (teams can only run one car at a time) is likely to be even more of a presence in the garages than usual.

With only six days of testing pre-season, its vital that both drivers get as much out of it as they possibly can, said Red Bulls Team Principal Christian Horner during the shakedown of the team's new RB16, so listening to each others debriefs, watching the data, following the progress of the car, even when theyre not in it, is vitally important.

READ MORE: Red Bull launch the RB16 Verstappen and Albons 2020 F1 car revealed

Much chatter after pre-season testing last year was given over to whether Mercedes had lost their competitive edge, as the Silver Arrows appeared to reel beneath the onslaught of a much-improved Ferrari. Then they turned up in Australia and began a run of eight consecutive victories, en route to their sixth consecutive double championships, and the chatter well, stopped.

They could extend that record even further in 2020, as Lewis Hamilton seeks a Michael Schumacher-equalling seventh drivers title. But how much performance will they be prepared to reveal in Barcelona, with a W11 car that Technical Director James Allison says is basically the one that will race in Melbourne?

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about 2020 F1 pre-season testing

With swathes of technical stability going from 2019 into 2020, both Red Bull and Ferrari are licking their chops about the prospect of really getting stuck into Mercedes this season and pre-season testing will give us our first chance to see how realistic that prospect is. Both teams won races in the second half of 2019, and their 2020 cars the RB16 and SF1000 respectively look to be evolutions of those race-winning machines. Who can strike the first blow in testing, to build some Mercedes-bashing momentum ahead of Australia?

READ MORE: Can Red Bull be genuine title contenders in 2020?

McLaren were the runaway success of the midfield in 2019, the MCL34 helping the team take their first podium since 2014, while Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris combined to net the team fourth in the constructors, their highest placing since 2012.

Can they rule the roost in the midfield again? Well get some sense of the answer to that question in Week 1 of pre-season testing but not much. As a comparison, by the end of the first week of testing last year, it was Alfa Romeo who led the midfield battle actually they were the second fastest team overall, with a best lap just over a tenth behind Ferrari with McLaren only ninth fastest

So no, Week 1 wont give us the full midfield picture. But with Renault, Racing Point, Alfa Romeo et al looking to knock McLaren off their recently attained perch, the glimpses will be tantalising nonetheless.

READ MORE: Sainz reveals new McLaren contract talks already underway

Inside McLaren's Car Launch

Haas were one of the teams who showed exceptional promise in pre-season testing last year, before their season went up in a cloud of smoke and Guenther Steiner rude words. Ahead of the start of 2020, Steiner was bullish, stating: I'm very confident that we will be back to where we were in 2018 [when they took fourth in the constructors], or very similar.

As per the caveat in #6, we most probably wont get a full sense of how potent the VF-20 will be before the season begins in Australia. But giving drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen a psychological boost after a graunching 2019 could be an important mental trick for Haas to pull off.

READ MORE: OPINION Why this year has to be better for Haas

One driver pairing thats got the potential to be explosive in 2020 is the new alliance at Renault, with Daniel Ricciardo joining forces with Esteban Ocon, back in F1 after a year on the side-lines. Ocons insisted that hes already experiencing better vibes with Ricciardo than he did with Sergio Perez, with whom he endured a fractious relationship at Force India/Racing Point.

The atmosphere is a lot better between me and Daniel than it was with Checo, said Ocon at the launch of Renaults season in Paris, so if we can keep working like that, even though its going to be different on track, its going to be a lot better for everyone to have a positive energy.

READ MORE: Renault team mates Ricciardo & Ocon reckon they can avoid clashes

Its a big if and both drivers will likely be keen to lay down a strong marker in Week 1 of pre-season testing to send out a clear message to the other about whos the faster driver in the team. This could get juicy.

Esteban Ocon: 2020 about 'catching up' with top 3 teams

No matter your F1 allegiances, most in the paddock had a pit in their stomach when Williams failed to show for the first two days of pre-season testing in 2019, their car simply not ready in time to begin circulating with their rivals. It was sad to see, and Williams season never really recovered, as they took just one point by the end of 2019.

All signs point to the team being better prepared for this season, with the FW43 having already hit the track in Barcelona for a filming day in its flashy new livery, while new hires like Dave Worner as Chief Designer and Jonathan Carter as his deputy and Head of Design have added to an aura of positivity around the team. With George Russell now de facto team leader in his second season of F1, alongside rookie Latifi, can the former champs begin to turn the ship around in 2020, starting in Barcelona?

READ MORE: Williams launch evolutionary 2020 F1 car in online reveal

Last year's testing was a frosty affair, and while it didn't snow, it was nonetheless pretty chilly in Granollers, the town outside Barcelona where the track is situated. 2020 pre-season testing, however, looks set to be far toastier, with temperatures on Friday of Week 1 set to hit 19 degrees. Not only will that make the pit lane of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya a nicer place to be for all concerned it's especially good news for the teams, who'll be able to amass more useful, relevant data, given the elevated temperatures they're likely to face at the first two races of the year in Australia and Bahrain. Better pack that SPF 50...

READ MORE: Watch the incredible trailer for Netflix's Formula 1: Drive to Survive Season 2

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10 things to watch for in Week 1 of 2020 pre-season testing - Formula 1