Soft drinks are carbonated bottles of sugar that hold little to no benefits to consumers. While I use to be one of the many people who would select a soft drink rather than drink a glass of water, I have come to see the error in my ways. I know no longer agree with the production of soft drinks, as they tend to do more harm than anything else. Regular soft drinks, contain an unhealthy amount of sugar. Diet versions of these drinks tend to have unnatural sweeteners and chemicals that have made them even more harmful in terms of what you are actually putting in your body. I no longer drink either of the two, and instead find myself drinking half a gallon of water on a daily basis. Making this switch has not only made me feel a whole lot healthier, but it has also given me the water that my body needs in order to perform strenuous activities such as going to the gym. In a day and age were obesity is still a large factor in the general population, I would say that banning soft drinks is not a horrible idea. There are many other healthier options that can be chosen over a soft drink, and yet very few people make the decision to go the healthier route. So why not ban soft drinks not just certain sizes, but all together.
All posts by Anthony Frousios
Sandy Experience
During Sandy, I remember my father driving my mother, my sister, and I down three blocks to the water’s edge. Here you could see the water was already rising up, and the waves where propelling water over the five foot elevation from where the water ended and the street began. While there was a storm nearing several of my neighbors stood in awe at the waves and the drastic change they were displaying from their usual calm state. The houses that lined the water had their garage doors barricaded with sandbags, and their cars locked away inside. These few houses where the only ones in my neighborhood in true danger of having flooding due to the grade of the hill that my neighborhood lies on. After the storm had come and passed the only true remnants of the storm where fallen trees, and a loss of power on certain blocks. Luckily within a week power was mostly restored and most debris was cleaned off of the roads. I know that my neighborhood was very lucky in how they storm turned out for them, many kids i went to school with were not as luckily since many of them lived in Far Rockaway, or Howard Beach. For months after my school collected donations and offered food to students affected by the stor till their families could get back on their feets. Our yearly walk-a-thon was even revamped to collect money to help those who were severely hurt by the storm.
Homeless Encounter
Like many New Yorkers, my personal experiences with homeless individuals, strides no further than brief encounters on the streets and on the subway carts. I’ve lived in NYC my whole life, and for most of it homeless individuals for me where made up of a man who lived under a bridge near my elementary school, and the foundations to which I donated my old toys, and clothes to. Moving to Manhattan has changed much of that image. I know think about the countless numbers of homeless people I see on the trains asking for help from any individual willing to make a contribution. Many times I see most people ignoring someone who is homeless, and just proceeding with their daily routine. Once in awhile however I see one person willing to reach into their own pockets and give something. Whether it be a sandwich, a few dollars, or even coins there is no doubt that the people receiving this help are grateful. As of recent I feel as though I have seen the amount of homeless individual increase over the past two years, as I keep on seeing more and more people making rounds on the trains looking for help. Last semester my Macaulay poster representation was actually about homelessness in New York City, and the first thing I noticed is that homelessness is increasing at a rapid rate. While the efforts by Mayor De Blasio have been able to slow down the rate of growth of the increasing rate of homelessness, it is clearly not enough.
My Police Views
In my past I have never personally had an interaction with the New York Police Department (NYPD). The closest to an encounter with the NYPD that I have had is by seeing my father receive a ticket for his driving. Of course those tickets with my father were all very much so deserved. A big reason for me not directly having any issues with the police, is that I have always put myself in situations that kept me safe from ever being arrested. That does not mean, however, that I believe the police do not act against those who are innocent, and have not broken the law in any particular way. There are most certainly police officers hold racist, homophobic, or other discriminatory views, which cause them to carry out heinous acts against these people. While I have never had an encounter with the NYOPD, I do fear the concept of ever having to deal with a member of them. Some of this fears drives from the fact that while I may not portray any specific ethnic minority through the color of my skin, many people are able to tell that I identify as a gay male in society. So while I have never had an encounter with police officers, I have heard through others I know how poorly one can be treated by them. This fear is something that others carry so deeply with them, that it should show society how badly we need a change. A change in the way police officials, and government officials treat people in society.
My Transit Experience
New York City has a pretty decent subway system, but also a very outdated one as well. From the lack of trains during rush hour to satisfy the midday rush home from the city to the old subway cars that plague certain lines. While the system itself could use an update, the bigger issue are the people occupying the train. From men who decide to take an immense amount of space from leg spreading to people pushing their way onto a loaded car. The subway system is a place for impolite conduct. The worst part about this is that we’d all rather just stand aside and say nothing, rather than speak up to these individuals about how their behavior affects others. I myself have found myself witnessing how inconsiderate some people can truly be on the subway system. One instance in which I found myself in the middle of a packed subway car, there was a man who took up two seats, and decided to spread his legs far apart. When people started getting pushed inwards and came near his legs he began to argue with them and demand they move back. Its instances such as this that show to me how certain individual s in society lack a clear understanding of what is considered common curtesy.
About Us
I grew up in Astoria, Queens, New York. I was brought up by a mother who moved to the states from Puerto Rico, and a father who immigrated from Greece at a young age. While living in New York City, there have been many things that I’ve come to love and some that I’ve come to hate about this city. One of the pros to living in this city is that many things are only a short trip away. Growing up in Queens, most places where at most thirty minutes away. A second pro to living in this city is the diversity that can be seen throughout. Part of this can be seen by the fact that New York City being is considered to be a melting pot for different cultures. The third pro of living in New York City are the opportunities that are offered to people in regards to job opportunities, internships, and other educational opportunities. In regards to parts of the city that I dislike, one would be public transportation during rush hour. The groups of people who attempt to push their way into a subway cart, no matter the amount of current occupants infuriates me. A second part of the city that I dislike is the amount of litter that is found on the streets for most neighborhoods. A third, and final thing about New York City that I dislike is rush hour traffic, which I deal with on most weekends when I visit my parents in Queens.