Weed withdrawal: More than half of people using medical cannabis for pain experience withdrawal symptoms


Lara Coughlin, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Michigan
Sun, October 31, 2021,

The use of cannabis, though safer than many other drugs, is not entirely without risk

. AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file

CC BY-ND

In stark contrast to the overblown fears portrayed during decades past, these days, most people think cannabis is relatively harmless. While weed is indeed less dangerous than some other drugs, it is not without risks.

In a study published Jan. 5, my colleagues and I found that 59% percent of people using medical cannabis for chronic pain experienced moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms if they stopped ingesting weed for hours or days.

Most states in the U.S. have legalized cannabis for medical purposes and 15 have legalized it for recreational use. More people are using cannabis, especially older adults, and the perceived harms from weed use are steadily decreasing. While many people report therapeutic benefits or enjoy recreational use of cannabis, it is important people understand the potential risks of cannabis use too.

What cannabis withdrawal looks like

Cannabis withdrawal symptoms can include both physical and psychological experiences that emerge when someone comes down from being high or goes for a period of time without use.

When people use cannabis regularly – such as daily or nearly daily – parts of the brain become reliant on cannabinoids, the psychoactive chemicals in cannabis. Cannabinoids are naturally produced in the body, but at a much lower level than is available in most cannabis products. Among those who don’t use weed for a period of several hours or days, cannabinoid levels drop and they experience withdrawal symptoms. These can including irritability, depressed mood, decreased appetite, sleep difficulties, a desire or craving to use cannabis, restlessness, anxiety, increased aggression, headaches, shakiness, nausea, increased anger, strange dreams, stomach pain and sweating.

Cannabis withdrawal symptoms usually go away within one to two weeks after use is stopped as the body adjusts back to its own natural production of cannabinoids. Unlike withdrawal from some psychoactive substances – such as alcohol – cannabis withdrawal is not life threatening or medically dangerous. But it does exist. Cannabis withdrawal can also be quite unpleasant and people can end up continuing their cannabis use – even when they want to cut back – just to avoid experiencing withdrawal.

A man inhales marijuana smoke from a glass bong in a room with other people around.
How common are withdrawal symptoms?

To figure out how common withdrawal symptoms are, over two years, my colleagues and I repeatedly surveyed 527 people who were using medical weed for chronic pain. We found that 59% of people who use medical cannabis for chronic pain had moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms. The most common symptoms were sleep difficulties, irritability and anxiety.

We also found that cannabis withdrawal symptoms were more severe in younger people, people with mental health problems, people who had a longer history of cannabis use and people who used more frequently or in larger amounts. Additionally, we found that smoking cannabis – rather than eating or topically applying it – was correlated with worse withdrawal symptoms.

Our team also looked at how people’s withdrawal symptoms changed over time. Most continued to experience the same severity of withdrawal symptoms any time they stopped ingesting cannabis over the two years of the study, but about 10% – particularly younger people – got worse over time. As with most dependency-forming substances, reducing the frequency or amount of cannabis use may help to alleviate these symptoms.

Our study looked at people who use medical cannabis only for pain. But in another recent meta-analysis that included both recreational and medical use, researchers found that 47% of frequent cannabis users experience withdrawals.

Cannabis may not be the demon drug from “Reefer Madness,” but neither is it a wonder–plant with limitless upsides and no downsides. As cannabis use increases across the U.S., it’s important for people to understand that regular use can lead to withdrawals, and to know what those symptoms are.

[Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week. Subscribe to The Conversation’s science newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Lara Coughlin, University of Michigan.

Read more:

Why do so many Americans now support legalizing marijuana?

Oregon just decriminalized all drugs – here’s why voters passed this groundbreaking reform

Addiction treatment shrinks during the pandemic, leaving people with nowhere to turn

Lara Coughlin receives funding from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Cotton Prices Near 10-Year High With Supply Deficit Seen Growing




Marvin G. Perez
Mon, November 1, 2021

(Bloomberg) -- Cotton prices surged near a 10-year high as forecasts for lower Indian supply heightened concern that a global deficit will get worse, threatening to increase costs for clothing.

Most-active futures climbed as much as 3.3% in New York, approaching a peak set in early October. The Cotton Association of India on Saturday said the country’s exports will drop by 38% in the 2021-22 season, while researcher Cotlook last week raised its estimate for a global deficit, citing lower output and more demand.

Harvesting in U.S. growing regions around the Mississippi Delta may see some rain disruption this week, according to Drew Lerner, the president of World Weather Inc. Southeast areas will be drier, which they need, after last week’s heavy rains probably hurt fiber quality in parts of Florida, Alabama and Georgia.

Prices have jumped more than 45% this year, cutting into margins for apparel makers and threatening to raise prices for everything from t-shirts to jeans. Costlier clothes would add to inflationary pressure for consumers already facing high food and energy prices.

“We’re expecting domestic consumption to be very strong with pandemic cases dropping and Diwali around the corner,” independent analyst Ajay Kedia said by phone, referring to India. “I’ve been visiting a lot of textile showrooms and demand is very good from the customer side -- around 110% of pre-pandemic levels.”

A surge in demand and lower crops in places like top importer China will spur a second world deficit in 2021-22. Top grower India will see domestic use climb to record. Meantime, there are signs bollworm disease will curb output in that country’s province of Punjab, local press reported over the weekend, citing government officials.

Demand is also very strong across other key textile exporters such as Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. That typically means good demand for the coveted quality from top shipper U.S., where stockpiles are very tight.

Meantime, commercial traders are holding a huge short position, tracked as unfixed cotton sales that must be closed by purchasing a futures contract. That’s become the biggest supportive factor for higher levels, said consultant Ollie Cleveland, a Mississippi State University economics professor emeritus.

“As long as yarn prices remain strong then demand will continue to be the principal driver,” he said. “At times the market is not trading physical cotton as much as it is trading the textile mills need to fix the price of cotton already contracted.”

While the surge may bring bigger global production in coming years, for now the situation points to higher prices toward $1.25 a pound, he said.

Cotton for March delivery gained 3.5% to $1.1503 a pound at 11:57 a.m. in New York.

In other soft commodities, raw sugar and arabica coffee also advanced in New York, with coffee rising as much as 2.8%.

Nearly all development banks committed to cutting coal investment, data shows


Men stand by a car near a coal-fired power plant in Shanghai

David Stanway
Mon, November 1, 2021, 10:04 PM·2 min read

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Nearly all internationally available development financing is now committed to reducing or ending investment in coal-fired power after moves by China and the G20 to stop supporting new projects overseas, new research showed on Tuesday.

Just before a new round of climate talks began in Glasgow, the G20 nations pledged on Sunday to end finance for all coal-fired power plants overseas. It followed a similar commitment made by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the United Nations General Assembly in September.

According to new research from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center, the G20 pledge means that 99% of all development finance institutions are committed to cutting coal investment and raising support for renewables.

"If these institutions live up to their commitments, it will be easier for developing countries to find official finance for renewable energy and coal power phase-out than for building new coal-fired power plants," said Rebecca Ray, senior researcher at the GDP Center and one of the study's authors.

The study said only three major "holdouts" remain - the Development Bank of Latin America, the Islamic Development Bank and the New Development Bank - though many of the major shareholders in those institutions were part of the G20 pledge.

Xi's September announcement that China would no longer be involved in overseas coal projects was the most significant change so far, depriving coal-fired power of its biggest financial backers, including the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China, the study said.

The decision appears to have had an immediate effect on the country's financial institutions, with the Bank of China vowing to end new overseas coal mining and power projects starting in October.

One expert involved in drawing up guidelines to decarbonise China's Belt and Road investments said Chinese financial institutions were aware of the waning demand for coal-fired power, making it easier for Xi's order to be implemented.

"They are quite serious about it," said the expert, who did not want to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter. "They are not looking for excuses to continue the projects; they are looking for reasons not to continue."

With coal already struggling to compete with renewables - and many analysts forecasting that the sector will eventually consist of billions of dollars worth of "stranded assets" - China's decision to pull out represented a rare alignment of political, economic and climate interests, analysts said.

"The economics have changed, and their experience with financing coal with the Belt and Road Initiative wasn't good - there are already issues with host countries defaulting on debt," said Matt Gray, analyst with the climate think tank TransitionZero. "I think they now have the political signals (to stop investing) that they have been crying out for all along."

(Reporting by David Stanway. Editing by Gerry Doyle)

Adult-themed slide is a prop from a Canadian film, not from playground in Germany

Author: AFP|

Update: 02.11.2021 



An image of a playground slide shaped like human genitals has circulated on social media in Nigeria and elsewhere with claims that it was taken at a children’s play park in Dresden, Germany. However, this is false: the equipment was used as a movie prop in Canada and removed after filming. Dresden officials also denied putting up the adult-themed slide.

The image was shared by dozens of social media users in Germany who thought the slide had been set up by authorities in the German city of Dresden.

“Children’s playground in Dresden, Gompitzer Höhe! ... what the hell is going on in the minds of those who approve something like this? What else do you expect from a red-red-green city council?” reads the English translation of one of the posts on Facebook.


The term “red-red-green” is regularly used in German politics to describe the coalition between the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Left Party and the Greens.

The image is now being circulated in other parts of Europe. In France, hundreds of Twitter users alleged the picture of the slide was taken in Paris, while the claim also made its way to Nigeria.

Screenshot taken on October 26, 2021, showing the false Facebook post

However, AFP Fact Check found the playground equipment in the image was used on a movie set in Canada and taken down after filming.

Seth Rogen filmA reverse image search led to a tweet featuring three images, including the one showing the red slide.

“They are filming a @Sethrogen in Maple Ridge and they have made some temporary changes to one of the local parks,” reads the tweet published on October 7, 2021.

In the comment section, the author specifically says the photos were taken at Fletcher Park, located in the Canadian city of Maple Ridge in the southwest part of British Columbia.

Using Google Maps Street View, AFP Fact Check found that items like the curb and a white-green climbing frame in the shared image match those from a playground in Fletcher Park.



Authorities in Maple Ridge confirmed that the image was indeed taken on a movie set and the slide was removed after production was completed.

“It was a [closed set] so that the public was not affected,” city spokesman Fred Armstrong told AFP Fact Check on October 12, 2021. “The production was on site for a few days and removed all props after filming was completed.”

Canadian media reported on the film set that went up in early October.

Canadian website Daily Hive wrote about “the obscene production set” while Hollywood North Buzz said the makeover of the playground was part of a set for a comedy movie by "Crazy Rich Asians" screenwriter Adele Lim and producer Seth Rogen.

German officials in Dresden also dismissed claims the image originates from a children’s playground in the German city.

“I can assure you that this slide is not in Dresden and that there is no such or similar play equipment in Dresden either,” spokeswoman Anke Hoffmann told AFP Fact Check.

Pandemics before coronavirus: Cholera, Black Death, Spanish Flu in Luxembourg

Author: Gerry Erang|Update: 14.05.2021 


© Pixabay

Coronavirus is currently tightening its stranglehold on the Grand Duchy but we'll travel back in time and have a look at other pandemics that haunted Luxembourg in the past.

Infectious diseases and other pandemics have inflicted a great deal of misery to humanity over the course of the centuries. Luxembourg is no exception in this regard.

The Spanish Flu of 1918

World War I ended in 1918 but the horrors would not come to an end: the 1918/1919 influenza pandemic infected around 500 million people around the world. No place was shielded from the disease: even unfortunate souls living on remote Pacific islands and in the Arctic did not escape the pandemic's deadly reach. Depending on the source, between 50 and 100 million people paid with their lives - making the Spanish flu one of the deadliest epidemics in human history. The exact mortality rate is not known but it is estimated that between 10% and 20% of those who were infected passed away. A common theory is that the disease was imported into Europe from the US.

Many people also fell prey to the disease in Luxembourg but the total number of victims remains unclear. The country was still weakened by war and food was scarce, which facilitated the spreading of the virus.

On 23 October 1918, the Escher Tageblatt for example apologised for delays in delivering the newspapers to their clients because two thirds of their staff were infected. Protestant churches and the synagogue in Luxembourg City were closed, countless school children were affected, and the economy suffered as well: a fifth of Dudelange's steel workers called in sick. 18 of them succumbed to their injuries, including two young men aged 16 and 19.


Influenza ward at US Army Field Hospital in Hollerich, Luxembourg (1918).



The Black Death

The Black Death (also know as the Plague) haunted Eurasia and brought death to an estimated 75 to 200 million people. It peaked in Europe (including Luxembourg) between 1347 and 1351. Many historians believe that it originated in Central Asia and then travelled along the Silk Road to Crimea.

From there, it the disease was likely brought into central Europe by fleas living on rats that were omnipresent on merchant ships. Between 30% to 60% of Europe's population died - it took humanity 200 years to regain its former population levels.

Luxembourg was haunted by several other plague epidemics in the following centuries. In his 1830 book on the history of Luxembourg City, Friedrich Wilhelm Engelhardt for example explains that "the Plague rampaged so violently [in Luxembourg in 1555] that entire populations were decimated. Some regions completely died out." Luxembourg City and Diekirch were reportedly worst affected.

In 1635, Luxembourg became involved in the violent Thirty Years' War when France declared war on Philip IV of Spain - troops marched through the future Grand Duchy. The following decade was marked by violence, food shortages, and outbreaks of the plague. In his first-hand account of the horrors that dominated Luxembourg in 1635 and subsequent years, Eustache de Wiltheim (a historian who died in 1667 - rue Wiltheim in Luxembourg City is named after him) narrates how the plague eventually started to haunt Luxembourg after the years of hardship that the long war had brought.

"In a short period of time," he writes, "thousands of people were snatched away. The churches and cemeteries did not have enough space to bury the dead despite already burying four to five people in one grave. It was therefore decided to consecrate a garden behind the abbey in the Grund district - where many poor farmers had found refuge - and turn it into a graveyard." Wiltheim adds that people brought their dead relatives to the makeshift cemetery on biers before "lowering them into the ground and walking away."

Cholera - when 3,546 Luxembourgers died in less than two years

According to WebMD, "Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if untreated. It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae." 7 Cholera pandemics have occurred in the last 200 years, with the last one originating in Indonesia in 1961.

Cholera illustration. Cholera was also called the "blue death" because a person dying of cholera may lose enough body fluids that their skin turns bluish-gray.

Luxembourg was plagued by a Cholera pandemic in 1865. More than 3,546 people died in less than 2 years. The first infections reportedly took place in Hollerich, Wiltz, and Leudelange. The disease then quickly spread throughout the country.

The author of a Luxemburger Wort article from 1866 not only goes into great detail about Cholera-induced diarrhoea (we'll spare you the details) but also explains how "the infected are usually suffering from painful cramps and extreme thirst. Unsupervised, they would drink an entire bucket of water within minutes - only to throw it up again. [...] They have sunken eyes, their faces become narrow, their eyes turn upward and stand still, face and hands become ice cold, the tongue becomes cold, and even the breath feels cold. The chest has a blue shimmer, the hands are shrunken and look as if they had been cooked."


Fatalities by location. / © http://massard.info/pdf/kanton_esch_cholera_1866.pdf

The potato blight

It is no secret that the potato played (and continues to play) an enormous cultural and even sociopolitical role in Luxembourg. To oversimplify: historically, healthy potatoes equal healthy Luxembourg. Unhealthy potatoes equal starvation and famine.

Much like Ireland, Luxembourg felt the terrible sting of potato blight (a kind of water mold that causes disease) in 1845. Infected potatoes came to Flanders from Northern America and eventually also arrived in Luxembourg. The following years were marked by crop failures and acute food shortages. It is unclear how many people died from starvation.

________

Gerry Erang is a journalist, editor, and translator for RTL Today with a background in English Literature.

Germany to return Mayan ancient artifacts to Guatemala and Mexico

The historic objects were discovered last year in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The owner says he bought them at a flea market in Leipzig in 2003 not knowing where they came from.

    

Saxony-Anhalt State Premier Reiner Haseloff will hand over the ancient Mayan artefacts on Friday in Berlin

Reiner Haseloff, premier of the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, will hand over a number of important cultural artifacts to Guatemalan Ambassador Jorge Lemcke and Mexican Ambassador Francisco Quiroga at the state's offices in the capital Berlin on Friday.

Officials say the Mayan objects include figures, plates and cups dating back to between 250 and 850 AD.

Police discovered the objects in autumn 2020 while at the residence of a man in the city of Klötze. He had contacted them to arrange the handover of Second World War weapons that had belonged to his father.

The objects were produced well over 1,000 years ago in what are now Guatemala and Mexico

During the visit, the owner notified authorities about the pieces, which he said had been purchased for less than €100 ($116) at a flea market in Leipzig in 2003 — he claimed he had no idea where they had originally come from. Police suspect the items were stolen by tomb raiders.

State prosecutors from Saxony-Anhalt say the authenticity of the objects was confirmed by an expert who concluded that 11 of the pieces were produced in what is today Guatemala and two others were from Teotihuacan, located roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of modern-day Mexico City. The ancient Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacan was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas.

The artifacts were originally scheduled to be handed over in May but the exchange had to be postponed for "diplomatic reasons."

Hague tribunal aims to investigate journalist killings

More than 1,400 journalists have been killed worldwide since 1992. A tribunal in The Hague is set to investigate some of these murders. One highlighted case is the 2011 killing of a Mexican reporter.



Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists

In his last column for the Mexican regional newspaper Notiver, Miguel Angel Lopez Velasco wrote about femicide, nepotism and contaminated drinking water.

Lopez Velasco, who was the deputy director of the Veracruz-based media outlet and used the pen name "Milo Vera," said the authorities had promised to deal with the problems. "And if not," he wrote, "we will remind them here."

It never came to that. A few hours later, the 55-year-old was dead.

In the early hours of June 20, 2011, his murderers came to the journalist's home under the cover of darkness while he was sleeping, smashed the front door and shot him dead, along with his wife, Agustina, and their youngest son, Miseal. They fired more than 400 bullets.


Lopez Velasco, a respected journalist, knew the state of Veracruz like the back of his hand

The police, stationed just one block away, did not even dispatch a patrol car. Ten years later, prosecutors have yet to find the perpetrators and a clear motive. Lopez Velasco's two older children have gone into exile in fear of their lives.

'Over 90% get away with murder'

The murderers destroyed a family and got rid of yet another critical voice in Mexico. "In over 90% of cases, they can count on getting away with it," said Balbina Flores, Mexico's representative for Reporters Without Borders.

Now, however, the case is going to court, at least symbolically: The Permanent People's Tribunal will hold an open hearing on November 2 on violations of press freedom across the world.

The murders of three journalists in particular will be on the agenda: those of Lopez Velasco, Lasantha Wickrematunge from Sri Lanka and Nabil al-Sharbaji from Syria. The tribunal does not have the power to convict anybody, but it can at least raise awareness and exert pressure on governments to protect journalists.
'Hold states accountable for their failures'

The tribunal was instigated by Reporters Without Borders, Free Press Unlimited (FPU) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). "This public forum is a chance to hold states accountable for their failures to bring perpetrators to account," said Natalie Southwick, CPJ's Latin America and the Caribbean program coordinator.

"These efforts are especially important in Latin America, where the vast majority of killers of journalists never face justice, and particularly in Mexico, the hemisphere's deadliest country for the press."

It is one of a series of actions with which journalists around the world hope to draw attention to the dangers both to themselves and to press freedom. Another example is the nonprofit Forbidden Stories project, which supports journalists who continue with the investigations begun by murdered, imprisoned or threatened colleagues.

The aim is to show those who order or carry out the murders that reprisals against journalists are not an effective way to stop unpleasant truths being revealed. Its slogan: Killing the journalist won't kill the story.
Velasco's death a warning shot

The death of Lopez Velasco, an experienced and respected journalist who knew the Mexican state of Veracruz like the back of his hand, was a warning shot. His murder was the "prelude to a whole series of journalists being murdered" in the state, said Balbina Flores.

One of those journalists was Yolanda Ordaz de la Cruz, a colleague of Lopez Velasco from Notiver, who had criticized the authorities' slow progress in investigating the murder shortly before she herself was killed in July 2011. Another was Regina Martinez Perez, the correspondent for the prestigious national weekly magazine Proceso, who was killed in 2012.

Ordaz de la Cruz was killed after criticizing the slow investigation into her colleague's murder

At the time, Veracruz was the most dangerous state in Mexico for journalists. The governor was Javier Duarte de Ochoa of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). During his term of office from 2010 to 2016, 17 journalists were murdered; three disappeared without a trace. Duarte kept a blacklist of journalists who he, and his influential predecessor and mentor Fidel Herrera Beltran, disapproved of; those journalists were spied on.

After Lopez Velasco was killed, regional state prosecutors, who answered to Duarte, put forward the theory that a local drug lord, El Naca, was involved. They then let the case drop.

In 2018, Duarte was charged with corruption and sentenced to nine years in jail.
Protection mechanism for journalists too slow

In 2012, under pressure from human rights activists, the Mexican Congress passed a law to protect endangered journalists and activists. According to Flores of Reporters Without Borders, over 1,500 Mexicans, including 500 journalists, have had recourse to it.

But she said the protective mechanism was still too bureaucratic and slow. "Under the law, the authorities are supposed to respond to a call for help within 12 hours by providing a panic button, regular police patrols, bodyguards or, in the most extreme cases, a safe house. In practice, however, this can take two weeks," she said.

When Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador became president in December 2018, he promised dramatic changes to security policy, but little has changed. According to official figures, 43 journalists and 69 activists have been killed since he came to office.

"In most cases, there had been death threats beforehand," said Flores. "Of the seven journalists killed this year, two had requested protection measures, but these came too late."

She said that a reform of the law, which was drafted in cooperation with journalist organizations, was currently on hold in Congress and that the budget for the protection agency had not been increased. "The issue is not high on the political agenda," she said.

This article has been translated from German


JOURNALISM: A DANGEROUS ACTIVITY
Viktoria Marinova, Bulgaria
The 30-year-old TV presenter had recently hosted investigative journalists working on alleged corruption involving European Union funds. She was brutally murdered in the northern Bulgarian town of Ruse in October 2018.
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Video: Concept for First Fully Electric Hydrofoil Ferry

Electra is a concept for the first fully electric hydrofoil ferry (Boundary Layer Technologies)

PUBLISHED NOV 1, 2021 6:58 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

A California-based start-up released its design concepts for the first fully electric hydrofoil ferry. Using the revolutionary design, the company says will make it possible to double the speed and range of existing electric ferries.

“Hydrofoil technology is the key to enabling electrification of passenger ferries” explains Ed Kearney, CEO of Boundary Layer Technologies. “By reducing the drag of the vessel by a factor of two, the powering requirements are also halved, which increases the speed and range of what an electric ferry can do. This opens the door to electrification of the majority of ferry routes across the world.”

 

 

Known as Electra, the ferry will have a range of up to 100 nautical miles and a cruising speed of 40 knots, which Boundary Layer Technologies says is more than twice that of any electric ferry currently in operation.  The company says that it has already developed the hydrofoil and control systems required for Electra, and plans to have the first vessels in operation by the beginning of 2024.

The prototype design features two layouts, one for 240 passengers that would be used for commuter service with elements such as bike storage and a typical ferry-style seating arrangement. The lower section of the vessel is devoted to the battery and propulsion systems. The second design is for a 150 seat luxury configuration. 

The designs for Electra show an overall length of 82 feet and a beam of 33 feet. Electra will be built of aluminum with two 2 MW AC motors and two Z-drive submerged propulsion pods. It would use lithium-ion battery cells with a total capacity of 9000kWh. Based on a 2400kW charging system, a full charge could be achieved in less than three hours the company reports.

Boundary Layer Technologies also points out that compared to fossil fuel alternatives, Electra’s battery electric propulsion will significantly reduce cabin noise by up to 20dB compared to conventional ferries. Its foiling system will also offer excellent seakeeping and ride comfort.

 

 

 

Foss Maritime Closes its Seattle Shipyard

File image courtesy Foss

PUBLISHED NOV 1, 2021 5:16 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

West Coast tug operator Foss Maritime has decided to close its shipyard on Seattle's Lake Washington Ship Canal, ending a years-long effort to "improve the viability" of the facility. 

The closure took effect on Saturday, and it will affect 115 employees. Foss is providing a generous severance equivalent to about two months' pay, along with benefits and average overtime wages. 

The closure will not affect any of the company's other operations, and Foss will turn to other Pacific Northwest shipyards to maintain its fleet of tugs and barges. 

“While the closure of the Seattle shipyard is a strategic decision for the future of Foss, it is not a decision we have taken lightly,” said Will Roberts, president of Foss Maritime. “We have employees and families who have been with us for decades; our priority is assisting them in this transition.”

Foss did not provide a detailed explanation for the closure, but sources in the Seattle ship repair industry suggest that a long-running labor dispute over pension benefits played a role. In a statement, the firm said that it had pursued options for selling the business segment, but these "ultimately did not materialize due to insufficient market interest."

"Our goal has always been to preserve the continued operation of the yard which is why we have been willing to sustain losses and remained committed to finding a path forward for so long. Unfortunately, no such path exists, and we have decided to move in a different direction that is more aligned with our strategic priorities for the future of the company," said Roberts in a statement. "Foss does not own the property and any future use will be up to the landlords."

The Seattle yard is the second that Foss has closed in three years, following the shutdown of its Rainier, Oregon facility in 2018. The Foss Rainier Shipyard had been in operation under the firm's management for more than two decades, and it handled nearly two dozen newbuild construction projects for the company over the years.  

 

Nine Steps for Effective Action Against Sexual Assault at Sea

Courtesy Women Offshore

PUBLISHED NOV 1, 2021 3:47 PM BY DR. ANN JARRIS

 

I read with dismay and familiarity the story of Midshipman X. As an emergency medicine physician, the failure of our society to address women’s health and safety is evident on a daily basis. Support for sexual assault survivors, even in major urban areas with plentiful resources, is sadly lacking. Midshipman X’s story was therefore not surprising, and the response of discomfort and uncertainty from the industry, not surprising either. Violence towards women is a public health disaster our society is not managing well.

The maritime industry has a culture and safety problem. Harassment and bullying, assault and intimidation, are difficult to quantify and difficult to prevent but anecdotally widespread. People are naturally uncomfortable discussing sexual assault, and the lack of normalization of discussing the topic is preventing the opportunity for meaningful intervention. Midshipman X’s story can be a catalyst for leadership in the industry to implement change now.

Let Midshipman X’s story be the industry’s Titanic moment. This is an event we all saw coming and all failed to prevent. The Titanic disaster led to SOLAS, a well-considered, well-reasoned set of procedural modifications, resource modifications, and cultural modifications that revolutionized the industry. There is no reason a similar approach cannot be taken to preventing sexual assault.

There is a component of sexual assault that is a medical problem. The specifics of evaluation of physical trauma, post-exposure prophylaxis, and forensic evidence collection are straight forward to document and implement. Victim advocacy and support systems exist for ongoing mental health. Maritime medical advisors can give recommendations on prevention, evaluation, and treatment. Viewing sexual assault at sea from a public health perspective, the importance around education and prevention is apparent, and this must come from leadership. This cultural change cannot be forced from the bottom up. Unacceptable behavior must be established and corrected by leadership. 

The reality of the maritime industry, today and in the future, is that the workforce is and will be comprised of both men and women.  Unlike industries ashore, there are a finite number of crewmembers, and all must be able to function and rely upon each other for the physical and economic safety of the ship and the operator.  An environment where sexual intimidation and assault is tolerated is no more acceptable than an environment where substance abuse is tolerated or condoned.  The maritime industry of today has advanced beyond the “Boys’ Club” of 100 years ago, or that many entered 30, 40, or 50 years ago. We can no more afford to ignore sexual intimidation than we can afford to ignore substance abuse.  Doing so places individuals, vessels, and companies at risk.

The responsibility to prevent sexual assault at sea falls squarely on vessel owners and unions. The maritime industry knows how to assess and mitigate safety hazards. Sexual assault is a safety hazard no different than any other. Every mariner knows the adage “safety rules are written in blood.” By viewing sexual assault as an on-board safety hazard, the steps to eliminate it become clear.

As maritime medical advisors, these are immediate interventions we recommend to vessel owners, executive leadership, safety and health teams, and union leadership:

1. Download and review the Best Practices Guide on Prevention of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the US Merchant Marine. This contains resources to start to create a meaningful anti-harassment policy. 
2. Develop a zero-tolerance culture for assault, harassment and intimidation. This must come from the executive leadership and must be revisited on a regular, recurring basis. Culture comes from the top down and requires continual reinforcement to be effective.
3. Educate employees on the “bystander effect” and give them tools to intervene if witnessing harassment or intimidation.
4. Expand “Stop Work Authority” to include witnessing of harassment and bullying and enable anyone to call out unsafe processes and work with appropriate team members to create a safe condition.
5. Educate managers, supervisors and DPAs on the proper procedures to report incidents and support victims.
6. Educate responders on trauma-informed sexual assault investigation methods. Seek out professional training from the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) or other resources to understand how to deliver trauma informed care.
7. Ensure resources are available on board for assault victims. RAINN has a 24/7 hotline to offer confidential support services.
8. Ensure your medical officers are trained on how to respond to sexual assault and that the on-board medical kit is appropriately stocked with post-exposure prophylaxis medications. Some of the recommended medications and laboratory evaluations may not be available at sea.
9. Survey employees regularly on their impressions of the shipboard culture and prevalence of harassment and intimidation. Quantifying a problem is the first step to eliminating it. Regular employee surveys provide tangible metrics to evaluate if interventions are successful.

Let this be a call to action to safety and health professionals in the maritime industry. Now is the time to update or develop your sexual harassment prevention policy, develop and communicate a zero-tolerance culture for harassment and assault, enact mandatory anti-harassment and sexual assault prevention and response training, and put into place emergency response checklists and resources to respond to events at sea.

Taking a strong, proactive approach to building an anti-harassment and anti-assault culture will go a long way to removing the stigma around discussion of assault and improving safety culture. Once interventions are woven into the culture of an organization, they become second nature. For companies that would like assistance in creating anti-harassment and assault policies, RAINN offers consulting services.

A work environment that allows sexual intimidation or sexual assault affects everyone on board and poses a risk to the safe operation of a vessel. It is in everyone’s best interest to implement policies and procedures that will ensure continuous improvement in the industry’s prevention and management of sexual assault.

Dr. Ann Jarris is a maritime and remote medicine specialist based out of Seattle, WA. She has practiced as a physician for over 15 years in urban and remote settings. Her experience is in occupational, emergency, wilderness and virtual medicine. Dr. Jarris leads innovation and research efforts at Discovery Health MD as co-founder and CEO.

U.K. Pledges Further $218 Million to Support Offshore Wind Power

PUBLISHED NOV 1, 2021 5:25 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The British government announced plans for a further $218 million of funding dedicated to the development of the offshore wind energy industry. This is in addition to a previous $275 million in support for offshore wind projects announced by the government earlier this year.  The goal is to support the development of new large-scale floating offshore wind ports and factories focusing on the potential in Scotland and Wales.

In announcing the funding. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was designed to support the overall plan to deliver 1 GW of energy through floating offshore wind by 2030, which is nearly nine times more than the current volumes worldwide. Johnson said that he also expects private sector investment to join with the government in mass-producing floating offshore wind turbines and installing them out at sea.  Johnson had previously announced the major energy companies, including Iberdrola, had committed to investing billions of dollars into the U.K.’s offshore wind programs.

“Floating offshore wind is key to unlocking the spectacular wind energy resource we enjoy in the UK, particularly in the deep waters around the coasts of Scotland and Wales,” said U.K. Business & Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. “This new investment will put us in a leading position to capture the full economic benefit of this fast-growing industry.”

The U.K. cites its successes so far in offshore wind while citing the long-term potential for development. 
To date, they report the efforts have resulted in a 65 percent decline in the cost of energy derived offshore from wind in addition to the significant investment commitments for developing new offshore wind ports in Teesside and the Humber.?

Making the most of the deep waters off the Scottish coast offers huge opportunities for Scotland’s coastal communities, with the government highlighting the opportunities to build on Scotland’s lead as a technology hub for offshore wind. Scotland already has two of the world’s first floating offshore wind farms off the coast of Aberdeen and a new round of leasing is in process. The Celtic Sea is also seen as a major development opportunity for the offshore wind sector. They highlighted the combination of deep waters and strong winds, which could provide significant opportunities for development in Wales.

The newly allocated funding follows the U.K. Government’s similarly sized fund dedicated to upgrading ports and infrastructure for the offshore wind industry. In total, the government estimates that more than $2 billion in investment has been secured. Earlier this year, the government also kicked off efforts to accelerate low carbon electricity generation, including $276 million in support for offshore wind projects and $33 million for floating offshore wind.?

Turbine Fire at The Netherlands' Largest Offshore Wind Farm 

Borssele 1 & 2 were fully commissioned in Novmber 2020 (Orsted)

PUBLISHED OCT 28, 2021 7:12 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

A year after commissioning the largest offshore wind farm in the Netherlands, and the second-largest operating offshore wind farm in the world, Ørsted is reporting that a fire damaged one of the wind turbines. The turbine malfunctioned the company reports causing the fire. A total of three turbines are now offline out of a total of 94 with the remainder of the farm continuing to operate.

“No employees were present when the fire broke out and no one was injured,” Ørsted said in a brief statement about the incident. The energy company that developed the site approximately 15 miles off the Dutch coast reports that it is working with the wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa to investigate the cause of the failure.

The damaged wind turbine is being dismantled to possibly reuse some of its parts. They are also working on the two other turbines that were linked to the damaged unit to restore them to operations. An inspection shows that they did not suffer any damage during the incident and appear to be able to operate normally.

Ørsted completed the commissioning of the Borssele 1 & 2 offshore wind farm in November 2020. The wind farm has a capacity of 752 MW, using Siemens Gamesa 8 MW turbines. The turbines are on monopiles in a water depth ranging between 45 and 115 feet of water.

Fires from the failures of the turbines happen periodically most often due to machinery failure. A report in Windpower Engineering and Turbine said that they had been 379 fires reported over the last 20 years. Experts believe the actual number is higher with incidents going unreported due to fears that it would damage the reputation of the industry.

Darts: Women aiming to make an impact in men's world

Fallon Sherrock made headlines with her breakthrough at the PDC World Darts Championship in 2019. This year she won't be the only woman to challenge the men in "Ally Pally."

 

Fallon Sherrock is looking forward to her return to the PDC World Darts Championship

2020 wasn't a great year for the self-styled "Queen of Palace." Fallon Sherrock, who one year earlier had caused a sensation by reaching the third round, didn't even qualify for the 2020 edition of the PDC World Darts Championship.

So was 2019 just a fluke? Was this the setback the male "traditionalists" had been waiting for? Like defending champion and superstar Gerwyn Price, who has said that it would be better for men and women to play separately in the first place? You could also describe these traditionalists as chauvinists.

Two places reserved

The 27-year-old hairdresser from Milton Keynes is set to get another chance to prove the traditionalists wrong when the World Championship opens on December 15 in London's Alexander Palace, or "Ally Pally" — as she has secured one of the two places reserved by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) for female players.

Worldwide headlines 

Join in yes, but don't make any noise. Nobody in darts would have said something like that so openly, of course, even if it wouldn't have come as a surprise had they done so. Sherrock went out and made history by defeating Ted Evans in the first round in 2019-20 — making her the first woman ever to win a match at the World Darts Championship. When she went on to beat then-world No. 11 Mensur Suljovic in the second round, Sherrock made headlines around the world. 

"It's going to be a great experience to go back there, especially now that crowds are allowed in," Sherrock said after clinching qualification. 

If she manages to get through to the third round again, she could find herself more in the spotlight than whoever goes on to win the tournament.

It was only in September that she reached the final of the Nordic Darts Masters in Copenhagen. The man who beat her, Michael van Gerwen, said of Sherrock: "She was phenomenal the whole tournament. She's a top talent not only for women's darts but for the whole sport of darts."

Lisa Ashton believes she and Sherrock are inspiring more women to aim to make darts a career

However, the right-handed player won't be the only woman competing against the men this year.  Also in the mix will be "The Lancashire Rose," Lisa Ashton. The 51-year-old has also long been established as one of the dominant figures in women's darts, having turned pro in 2007. She is now a multiple women's world champion and knows that "more ladies want the opportunity that we've had the opportunity to do."

Ashton's daughters Lindsey and Danielle are cases in point, having both struck out on darts careers of their own. 

This article was adapted from German.

Behind big business' climate promises

Author: AFP|Update: 02.11.2021 

Blowing smoke: Companies across of range of industries have been accused of "greenwashing", instead of making real changes to fight climate change 

As warnings have intensified about the massive damage that climate change will have on the world in the coming decades, big business has started to make commitments to reduce carbon emissions.

But are these companies making a genuine attempt to fight global warming, or simply "greenwashing" their brands to try to divert criticism while still reaping huge profits from their carbon-based industries?

With the COP26 summit in Glasgow coming after the UN warned the world was barrelling towards "climate catastrophe", analyses by consultants and think tanks show there is still much more that can be done.

- The omissions of 'net zero' emissions -

The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that industry accounts for almost 40 percent of the world's energy consumption and still overwhelming uses fossil fuels: oil, gas and particularly coal, which all hugely contribute to human-induced global warming.

The IEA said that "a number of companies around the world have set ambitious targets, but their potential impact remains uneven".

Out of 1,300 companies surveyed by the Boston Consulting Group, only 11 percent said they had reached their carbon emission targets over the last five years. And just nine percent accurately measured their emissions.


Change in annual temperatures compared to pre-industrial levels according to 6 datasets 

The InfluenceMap think tank's "A-List" assessed the climate ambitions of hundreds of companies, but found just 15 were sufficient.

Twelve of the 15 companies were European, with Unilever, Ikea, Nestle and Tesla among the few industry heavy-hitters using their corporate clout to push for ambitious policies.

InfluenceMap's Kendra Haven said that "large parts of the corporate world appear to remain ambivalent or actively opposed to bold climate action".

The London-based think tank disqualified companies that maintain memberships to "obstructive lobby groups", so firms like Microsoft and Siemens AG did not make the cut because they are associated with either the National Association of Manufacturers or the US Chamber of Commerce.

The number of companies that have said they aim to reduce emissions to "net zero" in the future has increased more than six-fold since 2019 to over 3,000, BP said in a July report.

However the phrase "net zero" can hide many emissions, depending on how the company chooses to define it.

Many firms have said their direct emissions would hit net zero in the coming decades -- but depending on what they produce, their indirect emissions could be far larger.

For example, major oil producers could commit to zero direct emissions while not including the vast carbon consequences of the oil they supply.

"Carbon offsets" such as support for reforesting projects can also be abused to bend the figure towards zero.

However for a transition in line with the targets of the Paris climate agreement, companies can get certified by the Science-Based Targets initiative, which brings together experts, NGOs and the UN Global Compact.

- 'Greenwashing' -

There are also steps the financial sector could take to help, including better tracking of the environmental performance of investments that are labeled as carbon neutral.

Out of 16,500 investment funds analysed by the Carbon Disclosure Project, only 0.5 percent are currently in line with the goals of the Paris agreement.

"The reality of traditional climate investing strategies does not live up to the promises," a study by the French Edhec business school's scientific beta research chair found, lashing out at "greenwashing".

"Speaking of climate investment when the companies' climate performance only accounts on average for 12 percent of the weight of their stocks in the portfolios is at best a misnomer and at worst misinformation."

When it comes to the fossil fuel industry, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said that attention has so far been on American and European energy companies, but producers in the rest of the world also need to be put under pressure / © AFP/File

When it comes to the fossil fuel industry, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said that attention has so far been on American and European energy companies, but producers in the rest of the world also need to be put under pressure.

"All these companies should be reporting in a transparent way how much investment they are putting on clean energy, how much emissions they are responsible for and what are their plans to face this," Birol told AFP.

Saying that "greenwashing" has posed a challenge, he added that the IEA has been tracking how these companies invest in clean energy.

"Two years ago, one percent of all their investments were going to clean energy, and this year it's five percent. So there is an increase," Birol said.

"But 95 percent is still going to their usual practices".