Unethical cruises by Abdulaziz Mohammed
Research paper

Abstract

Cruise ships in the Caribbean Sea are so big, that they are seriously causing some problems affecting everything in that area. By comparison, pollution is the worst problem. Cruises are dumping many substances such as sewage, oil, noxious chemical etc. Furthermore, it’s difficult to deal with them. There are three solutions to solve this problem. First, we should enforce the law more strictly. Second, we should support the Coast Guard to keep an eye on them. Last, we should use radar technology to catch these cruises more easily at their crime scenes.

Cruise companies are companies that have huge boats that take people from country to country in the Caribbean Sea. They have been getting bigger and bigger over time; according to “Groups seek tougher cruises ship waste laws” by John Pain (2005, par. 4), “the cruise industry has gotten so big that all its ships together could hold each of Miami’s 360,000 residents with room to spare”. However, the bigger it becomes, the more troubles it makes. There are three major problems that the cruise companies cause. At first, these cruises are American companies that pretend to be from other countries by changing their own flag; obviously, they do this to escape paying taxes and escape application of the US rules. Subsequently, they make their crew work long hours with an unfair paycheck; “These employees log 10, 12, or even 14-hour days, washing laundry or peeling potatoes for as little as $550 a month” (Foust, 2005, par. 5). The last and the most important problem is that they are polluting the Caribbean Sea without any responsibility, by dumping a huge amount of sewage and waste in the water. According to Mohammed, Torres & Obenshain (1998, par. 3), "A 1990 study determined that each passenger on board a cruise vessel generates an average of 0.32-3.5 Kilograms of waste per day". This problem impacts not only the environment, but also the people; many people die because of water pollution every year, and this problem will increase and get bigger, unless we act immediately. This problem is seriously dangerous; and it is interrupting people’s lives and the environment at the same time.

We shouldn’t stand and watch these criminals destroying such a beautiful place as the Caribbean Sea. So, I have three strong solutions that will solve this problem.

First, we should enforce the law of cleaning wastes before dumping them in the water; “Each ship generates up to 1 million gallons of waste per week” (Pain, 2005, par. 7). This is a huge amount of waste. In addition, it is not only liquid waste, but also solid waste, such as domestic garbage, packing materials, plastics, etc. (Mohammed, Torres & Obenshain, 1998). So the law applies to both liquid and solid waste, which makes it more complex to deal with.

According to Pain (2005), there is a law; it is aimed at huge boats; and they should clean their sewage before throwing it into the sea, but no one applies this law. This is an appropriate law; therefore, the government can make it effective if they enforce it. However, the US government must enforce this law.

Some people might say that this law doesn't affect or do anything, but this law will make a big decrease in the pollution of the Caribbean Sea; and will make the cruises follow the pollution standards; the reason is that it will be a big threat to the cruise companies. According to Mohammed, Torres & Obenshain (1998, par. 2), "because of stricter legislation, greater public scrutiny, and an increase industry awareness, the Miami-based cruise industry is adopting pollution prevention techniques that reduce or eliminate disposal at sea".

Indeed, using these filters on these ships is very reliable and would save a lot of money. Pain (2005, par. 18) says that, "Teri Shore of the Bluewater Network acknowledges that the advanced treatment system on many cruise ships are a huge improvement over the conventional once."

Second, we should give the Coast Guard the resources it needs to patrol the sea and deal with lawbreaking polluters. In one way or another, the Coast Guards are the police of the sea; they do what the government regulates, and have the authority to do it. The Coast Guard has a lot of jobs to do; for example, they are responsible for security, criminal activity on the water, departure, environment, illegal immigrants and much more. Altschul (2005, par. 20) quotes Admiral Loy as saying, “The rule of Coast Guard is to size up each case, Coordinate actions with other agencies, exercise legal authority, and utilize coastal assets, command structure, and provide command and control.” So it has a lot of essential jobs to do.

Since, there are some things the government considers important, and others it considers more important, the government cares less about the environment and pollution, and they don’t give enough money to support the Coast Guard for this purpose. The Coast Guard takes just 11.07 percent from its budget for environmental protection (Altschul, 2005). In fact, the Coast Guard can solve this problem easily and reliably,

Unquestionably, the Coast Guard can keep an eye on the cruises; for instance, check where they dump their sewage, and check if it’s clean or not. According to Mohammed, Torres & Obenshain (1998, par. 14), "The Coast Guard effectively examines a vessel’s waste management and containment systems during each inspection”. If the cruises are polluting the Sea they will have evidence and proof of them doing it, so the Coast Guards will apply the first solution, which is enforcing the law. As has been noted, supporting the Coast Guard with budget and supplies can be a great to help to reduce this incident.

Last, we should use radar technology. Using technology is very important for the Coast Guards in their work. “Better technology is also assisting the process” Mohammed, Torres & Obenshain (1998, par. 41). The radar technology will save the government a lot of money and time, because these radars catch the pollution in the sea water, find what kind of waste or toxic element it’s, and at what time they was dumped in the water. Moreover, the radar will work twenty-four hours a day, so it will help the Coast Guard and other environmental groups to deal with this problem more securely and easily. NASA (2005, par. 3) quotes DiGiacomo as saying, "The key to evaluating and managing pollution hazards in urban coastal regions is accurate, timely data. Since such hazards are usually localized, dynamic and episodic, they're hard to asses using oceanographic field sampling. Space-based imaging radar works day and night, regardless of clouds, detecting pollution deposits on the sea surface. Combined with field surveys and other observations including shore-based radar data, it greatly improves our ability to detect and monitor such hazards".

Equally important, this radar technology can find the cause of the pollution, since it has been examined by many scientists and people. To illustrate, NASA (2005, par. 3), about pollution in Southern California, says that, "The study described three major pollutant sources for Southern California: storm water runoff, wastewater discharge and natural hydrocarbon seepage". As I have shown, this technology can be so specific that it can give a list of the sources. Therefore, there will be scientific evidence of these cruises polluting the sea.

In conclusion, polluting such a nice place as the Caribbean Sea is not a decision to make, especially if it's from these irresponsible cruise companies. As I have noted, we should do something before it's destroyed; and with these solutions we could definitely solve this problem. Enforce the law that can be a threat to these cruise companies. Then, support the Coast Guard, which will make the cruise companies aware of them. Finally, get radar technology; thereby, to catch these cruises more easily. I wish that people will take this problem more seriously, and think about fairness in this world, hopefully, this problem will be just written in a paper of a book, not in reality.


Bibliography:

Altschul, J. (2005, Dec 11). Coast Guard faces homeland security challenges. JINSA, Retrieved on Oct. 3, 2005 from http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/1333/documentid/1328/history/3,2360,656,1333,1328

Foust, D. (2005, July 18). Not exactly the love boat. Business Week. Retrieved from Lexis-Nexis database, Aug. 25, 2005.

Markowitz, J. (2005, March 10). No smooth waters for cruise industry. Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Retrieved from Lexis-Nexis database, Aug. 25, 2005.

Mohammed., J, Torres, R., & Obenshain, E. (1998, Oct.). Waste reduction at sea: pollution prevention Strategies on Miami-Based cruise lines. Retrieved on Sep. 27, 2005 from http://www.umich.edu/~nppcpub/.

NASA. (2005, March 18). NASA researchers use imaging radar to detect coastal pollution. Retrieved on Sept. 27, 2005 from http://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/news/sar-031705.html.

Oleck, J. (2005, July 4). The seamy underside of cruise-line profits: huge returns derived from third wages. The Calgary Herald. Retrieved from Lexis-Nexis database, Aug. 25, 2005.

Pain, J. (2005, April 14). Groups seek tougher cruise ship waste laws. Associated Press Online. Retrieved from Lexis-Nexis database, Sept. 6, 2005.

Surfrider foundation. (2005). Cruise ship pollution. Retrieved on Sept. 28, 2005 from http://www.surfrider.org/a-z/cruise.htm.

Uebersax, M. (1996, Aug.). Indecent proposal: cruise ship pollution in the Caribbean. Retrieved on Sep. 28, 2005 from http://www.planeta.com/planeta/96/0896cruise.html.
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Practice Final by Mohammed, Abdulaziz

International music trade

Nowadays, if a person wants to listen to music he/she can do that without paying a cent; all that is because of the new technology, internet. People can download music from the Internet within seconds. We can call that the new global face, or music trade. This kind of globalization is getting bigger and bigger every year. However, musicians, music publishers and record companies say that this kind of trade will destroy their business and careers, so they are trying to stop this trade.
I think that music globalization is very good, and the advantages are far more than the disadvantages. Indeed, I can prove that in a strong, and clear points.
Many musicians think that if people download their music free in the Internet, they will lose money. Actually, that’s wrong; obviously, when their music becomes global; they will get more famous and known by people from other countries, so their music record won't just be sold in their country, but all over the world; in addition, people will go to see their concerts, because of their popularity. Besides, they will get more money, according to Dolfsma (2000, par. 35); “ Musicians may indeed see their financial situation improve in the future, with great sales and publicity thanks to the new technology”.
Furthermore, globalization can always influence culture. Listening to music from other countries can make people learn about other cultures, through the type of instrument that they use, the language that they talk, etc. When people have much background about other communities they will be educated about the development that the countries reached (Dolfsma, 2000).
Finally, the record companies and music publishers won’t be negatively affected with this technology. Most of these companies and people think that people who download from Internet are criminals, but, evidently, they are teenagers and college students who don’t have the money but have the time (Silverstone, 2004). However, they are a good thing to have money, according to Silverstone (2004, par. 3); “in fact, illegal downloading may help the industry slightly with another major segment, which Oberholzer and Strumpf call “samples”-an older crowd who downloads a song or two and then, if they like what they hear, go out and buy the music”.
` As I have shown, music trade through the Internet is not something bad for people who make the music, but great; “internet music piracy not only doesn’t hurt legitimate CD sales, it may even boost sales of some types of music” (Silverstone, 2004, par. 1). And by the three points, I have proved it. First, it won’t make the musicians go out of business, because of their popularity. Second, it will make people from other countries knowledgeable about cultures. Last, it will make industries gain more money.

Reference:
Dolfsma, W. (2000, May 5). How will the music industry weather the globalization storm?. Retrieved in Oct. 5, 2005 from http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue5_5/dolfsma/.
Silverstone, S. (2004, June, 21). Music downloads: pirates-or customers?. Working knowledge. Retrieved from Harvard Business School, Oct. 5, 2005.

I took two quizzes, one of them, from the ESL Quiz Center, about the verb tense, and the second, by Comnet, about prepositions. My scores were good in he prepositions higher than the verb tense; obviously, I found that verb tense was more difficult. Both of them were great; it’s not a matter of which is better, it's a matter of what kind of information a person has, and what parts he’s weak in; and what parts he’s strong in. In conclusion, I think that both of the quizzes are good, and a person can learn from them.

Argumentative Essay by Abdulaziz Mohammed

The unfair cruises

Cruise companies are companies that have huge boats that take people from country to country in the Caribbean Sea. They have been getting bigger and bigger over time; according to “Groups seek tougher cruises ship waste laws” by John Pain (2005, par. 4), “the cruise industry has gotten so big that all its ships together could hold each of Miami’s 360,000 residents with room to spare”. However, the bigger it becomes, the more troubles it makes. There are three major problems that the cruise company causes. First, these cruises are American companies that pretend to be from other countries by changing their own flag; obviously, they do this to escape paying taxes and escape application of the US rules. Second, they make their crew work long hours with an unfair paycheck; “These employees log 10, 12, or even 14-hour days, washing laundry or peeling potatoes for as little as $550 a month” (Foust, 2005, par. 5). These problems are seriously dangerous; and they are interrupting people’s lives and the environment at the same time. The last and the most important problem (pollution) is that they are polluting the Caribbean Sea without any responsibility, by dumping a huge amount of sewage and waste in the water. This problem reflects not only the environment, but also the people, many people die because of water pollution every year, and this problem will increase and get bigger, unless we act immediately.

We can stop these boats from polluting the Caribbean Sea; there are three solutions that the US can do to stop them. We should enforce the law of cleaning the waste before dumping them in the water. Next, we should set the Coast Guard to keep an eye on them; then, use radar technology to catch these cruises more easily at their crime scenes.

First, we should enforce the law of cleaning waste before dumping them in the water, “Each ship generates up to 1 million gallons of waste per week” (Pain, 2005, par. 7). This is a huge amount of waste. According to Pain, (2005), there is a law; it is aimed at huge boats; they should clean their sewage before throwing it into the sea, but no one applies this law. however the US government must enforce this law. On this occasion, the government should choose a tough punishment; like a huge fee, or prevent these companies from doing business in the US; this will be a big threat for them.

Second, we should set the Coast Guard just to keep an eye on the cruises; for instance, check where they dump their sewage, and check if it’s clean or not. If the cruises are polluting the Sea they will have evidence and proof of them doing it, so we will apply the first solution, which is enforcing the law.

Last, we should use radar technology. Using this technology will save the government a lot of money and time, because these radars catch the pollution in the sea water, find what kind of waste or toxic is it, and at what time they was dumped in the water.

In conclusion, polluting such a nice place like the Caribbean Sea is not a decision to make. We should do something before it's gone, so by these solutions we could solve this problem more easily. Enforce the law. Then, set the Coast Guard. Finally, get radar technology to catch the cruises.

Reference

Foust, D. (2005, July 18). Not exactly the love bout. Business Week. Retrieved from Lexis-Nexis database, Aug. 25, 2005.

Pain, J. (2005, April 14). Groups seek tougher cruise ship waste laws. Associated Press Online. Retrieved from Lexis-Nexis database, Sept. 6, 2005.

Research Proposal by Abdulaziz mohammed

The unfair cruises

I became interested in the problems that the cruise companies cause in the Caribbean Sea after I heard about it in the news. Cruise companies are companies that have huge boats that take people from country to country in the Caribbean Sea. They are getting bigger and bigger over time; according to “Groups seek tougher cruises ship waste laws” by John Pain (2005, par.4), “the cruise industry has gotten so big that all its ships together could hold each of Miami’s 360,000 residents with room to spare”. However, the bigger it becomes, the more troubles it makes. There are three major problems that the cruise company causes. First, these cruises are American companies that pretend to be from other countries by changing their own flag; obviously, they do this to escape paying taxes and escape application of the US rules. Second, they make their crew work long hours with an unfair paycheck; “These employees log 10, 12, or even 14-hour days, washing laundry or peeling potatoes for as little as $550 a month” (Foust, 2005, par. 5). These problems are seriously dangerous; and they are interrupting people’s lives and the environment at the same time. Last, the most important problem, (pollution), they are polluting the Caribbean Sea without any responsibility, by dumping a huge amount of sewage and waste in the water.

I plan to write about how we can stop these boats from polluting the Caribbean Sea; there are three solutions that the US can do about it. Enforcing the law of cleaning the waste before dumping them in the water. Next, set the Coast Guard to keep an eye on them; then, use radar technology to catch these cruises more easily at their crime scenes.

I have found two informative articles that have great solutions for this problem that some people proposed. However, I need to find more articles about using the technology to track the cruises and knowing where the places that have been polluted by them are.

Reference

Foust, D. (2005, July 18). Not exactly the love boat. Business Week. Retrieved from Lexis-Nexis database, Aug. 25, 2005.

Pain, J. (2005, April 14). Groups seek tougher cruise ship waste laws. Associated Press Online. Retrieved from Lexis-Nexis database, Sept. 6, 2005.

Cruises and pollution by Abdulaziz Mohammed

In “Groups seek tougher cruise ship waste laws” John Pain says that cruise companies are increasing at the same time the pollution that they are causing is increasing. According to J. Pain, “Each ship generates up to 1 million gallons of waste water per week”. There are two groups working to stop this problem, the Bluewater Network, and Ocean. The cruise companies say that the water pollution is coming from land, but the environmental groups are waiting to investigate with these cruises. The writer mentioned a new law to solve this problem; cruises must apply the rule that says ships can throw off their waste, if they clean it first; afterwords, they should dump their sewage in a measured distance from the coast, and there is a rule that have been proposed to the government, to make the Coast Guard just check the cruises, and see if they are breaking the rules or not.

Obviously, critics and environmentalists are very interested in this topic; he proposed his solution very clearly, yet, he wasn’t very powerful and convincing in his argument, because he didn’t bring much thoughts of the other side of the argument. I don’t agree with the critics, and I can show his error in three points.

The writer didn’t have any proof against the cruises; this was my first thought after I read the article, and the first reason I’m against the writer. If a person needs to make an argument better and bigger he/she should bring opinions from the other side of the argument that people can believe and agree with the writing. In the fourth paragraph J Pain says, “The cruise industry argues”, but he didn’t mention any names or a quotation so that the reader could make sure of the accuracy of the information.

Next, I don’t believe that the cruise companies are breaking the law, because, first, there is no proof; second, they are huge companies that need their reputation; and last, the claim that the waste near the coast is from the cruises is wrong, because there are many sources that the waste and sewage can come from, not just from the cruises.

Finally, if the writer was right and the pollution is coming from the cruises, he could’ve had better solutions. For example applying the rule of cleaning the sewage before dumping it and dumping the waste far from the coast wouldn’t make a difference, since the pollution is happening, whether it’s clean or not; furthermore, I don’t think that the Coast Guard will stop the huge boat from doing these things that they are claiming they do.

As I have shown, not every claim is right; and I’m definitely against the critics as I have noted; the writer must support his argument with an opinion of the other side, there wasn’t enough evidence that the cruises are responsible for the water pollution, and the solution that the writer proposed was very weak and won't clarify the problem. I wish that the misunderstanding between people will be solved, and I have a very good feeling that someday peace will cover the harbor.

Reference

Pain, J. (2005, April 14). Groups seek tougher cruise ship waste laws. Associated Press Online. Retrieved from Lexis-Nexis database, Sept. 6, 2005.

The unfair boats by Abdulaziz Mohammed

According to Dean Foust in “Not exactly the love boat”, people shouldn’t be seduced by these cruises in the Caribbean sea that just care about making money without any responsibility. These boats are breaking the rules for polluting the sea, by throwing their waste on purpose, and pretending to be from other countries, but actually they are American companies, who change their flags, so they can escape from paying taxes and avoid the US rules. Moreover, they are messing around with globalization, which makes a lot of companies go out of business. And that is because that they are not paying much money to their staff and they don't have safety plans on board, so it's cheaper for people to deal with these cruises rather than the expensive ones. Garin says that something must be done to solve this problem.

I think that it’s really fun going on these cruises especially when a person needs a break from work. On the other hand, they are making a serious problem, based on the article that I read. I never thought that it’s a major problem in any circumstances. In one point or another, I'm not with Garin in some points.

First, Garin said that these cruises pollute the sea on purpose. I personally went on a cruise to the Caribbean, but during the trip I didn't see any waste or substances come from the ship, so not all the cruises pollute the environment and if they do, they don't do it on purpose. The writer must have more reliable information.

Second, I believe that cruises affect the globalization of other countries and companies, but it isn't their fault, because companies should compete with the cruise companies to make more money, not just complain about losing it. However the cruises are making more money illegally, by pretending to be from another country, but the people can always think of a solution.

Last, the claim that the cruises don't give their employees enough money is definitely wrong, because it seems not fair for the middle class people, but the staff are from poor countries and the money that they receive is fair for them. They also have no problem working fourteen hour a day; the reason is that they are used to it in their rough lives. In addition they get food and place to live. Actually this is a good deal for people from the poor countries.

In brief, Garin could be more realistic by making sure of his information and finding more sources; especially concerning, if the cruises really pollute the environment, how companies are mad without doing things to improve themselves, and how people think that the cruises are unfair in how they treat their staff. The article will be perfect if the Garin checks his information. I wish that these problems will be solved in the future, and that everyone will be happy.

Reference
Foust, D. (2005, July 18). Not exactly the love boat. Business Week. Retrieved from Lexis-Nexis database, Aug. 25, 2005.

My favorite musician by Mohammed, Abdulaziz

Sting, a rocker, solo and hip-hop musician, is one of my favorite musicians. At the beginning he started in a band called “Police” in 1979 until 1997, but he decided to make his own career in 1995; since then he has been and still is a big success. I like to listen to Sting because of his strong voice and the powerful meaning in his songs. The first time I listened to Sting was in 1999 for his fifth album “Brand new day”. He is a very famous for changing his music style like using jazz, middle eastern music like in “desert rose”, Indian music as in “the book of my life”, etc. In his last album “sacred love” I started to like him even more because he makes the listener think about life and how life regenerates people through love. In brief, Sting is not just a musician, but also a scientist who studies the world.