Jessica Ng
MHC250 Haberman
Soda Ban

The proposal of Bloomberg’s ban on sugary drinks over 16 oz brought up two questions when it was passed by the NYC Board of Health and then rejected by the NYS Board of Appeals. First, whether or not the city has the right to put such a ban into effect, and second, whether or not it should have such power.

Looking at past policies that were enacted, such as the ban on smoking in restaurants and parks, and the ban of trans fat, I would argue that based on precedence, New York City has the power to enact bans on certain substances that are considered risks to public health. For example, the smoking ban has generally been seen as effective as the smoking by-products in the air of restaurants and bar has decreased, and there has been an increase in the health of bar workers as a result. The trans fat ban has been extraordinary effective in reducing the usage of trans fat in foods, but it is still unclear whether this has an impact on general health. So what makes limiting soda consumption so different? The issue here is proving that sugary drinks are a risk to public health and that enacting the soda ban would be effective. People know that soda is a sugary drink, but it’s not linked to the public conscious that soda is “bad thing” the way trans fat or smoking is.

Some people argue that the ban is excessive “nannyism” by the government. It’s always tricky when people see policies that may infringe on the people’s rights to make their own choices, whether to smoke, carry arms, or eat junk food. After all, America is based on the idea of freedom and individual rights, not the control of the government. However, rather than seeing these bans as infringements of the right to smoke, carry arms, or eat junk food, one could consider them to enforce the rights of people to breathe clean air, to be safe at school or other spaces, and to have a healthy diet.

Hurricane Sandy Writing Assignment

Jessica Ng

I remember about a week before the storm hit, I was at a library, gossiping with friends about the so-called “Frankenstorm”. Hurricane Sandy, which was due to hit New York City a few days before Halloween, was a point of concern for many people. For me, it was basically the first natural disaster that I remember experiencing.

I was one of the lucky ones.

My house is both inland in Queens and on a hill. When Hurricane Sandy hit, my family and I managed to escape flooding, damages from the wind, and even the blackouts that affected houses not more than a block away. I remember that it was a sunny day, and if it wasn’t for the winds outside that were blowing down trees, I would have called it a “nice day”. We stayed inside the entire time, and for my family, Hurricane Sandy passed by uneventfully. I remember peacefully doing math homework by the light of the day. And yet, the loud, raging winds reminded me that we were only an accident away from experiencing disaster. Luckily, the only interesting thing that happened was a branch on the tree on the sidewalk outside our front yard fell on a car.

Outside was another matter. Even in Queens, farther away from the coast, the winds had caused many trees to fall. Some were tangled in the power lines, others laid on the roads, forcing drivers to drive around them. I remember a lane where all the drivers were forced to drive onto the sidewalk to get around a fallen tree. Public transportation was heavily affected, and even today some of the damage done by Hurricane Sandy to the subway are still in repair. From the news, I knew that there had been flooding and even deaths caused by Sandy. And yet, the Monday after, I had to go back to school.

Homeless Writing Assignment

Jessica Ng

I think that every person living in New York City has had an encounter with the homeless at some point. As sad as it is, it’s a almost such a common sight that it’s expected. This is particularly true if you ride the subway during the winter, where many homeless people will choose to take shelter. It is not uncommon to see homeless people sleeping near the entrances or on the subway seats. Many homeless people will also go through subway trains to ask for money. For a rider, it’s always an awkward moment when someone starts making an announcement asking for money, and you know they’re going to walk by you.

I haven’t had any particularly personal encounters with a homeless person or homelessness, but as a New Yorker it’s inevitable that I’ve had a few in general. Mostly, it’s been the usual homeless people who walk through the trains asking for money. In some of the more popular train stations, like 59^th St or 68^th St, I’ll see some people with signs asking for money. Recently, I take the subway from the 23^rd St station, which has several homeless people living in it and outside of it. It seems like I cross by many of the same people everyday. Perhaps the most memorable and recent encounter was when a homeless person walked straight up to my mother and I, where we were sitting on the train, and asked for the food that we had in our hands. We refused, but it was somewhat of a scary moment anyways, as the train cart was fairly empty, and the man sat right behind us after we refused. In order to get away from him (and his smell), we moved to the next train cart. Later, I saw him exiting at the same train station as us. Although it seemed like a coincidence, it was still somewhat frightening.

Honestly, I don’t really know how to feel or deal with the homeless. I get that these are people in a desperate situation, but sometimes I have to refuse them, and I feel bad when there’s nothing I can do. I get that people don’t want them near when they’re riding the subway or eating at McDonald’s, but those are public spaces that everyone has a right to. Even if I don’t like dealing with homeless people, I don’t think I have the right to refuse them access. Looking back, it seems terrible that such a sight is so common that it’s expected, but I don’t think it’s something one person can change by themselves.

An Encounter With the Police

Jessica Ng

My family and I have been mostly fortunate enough to avoid any spectacular incidents with the police. In fact, the only specific incident I can remember occurred when I was about maybe ten years old, when I was in the car with my parents, and my mother was driving. We were driving on a large road, when we were pulled over by the police. It turned out that my mother didn’t stop for a school bus’s stop sign. My mother thought that since she was driving two lanes away, she didn’t have to stop. (Actually, she was in the wrong by luckily, she was let off with a warning, and that was it.)

However, I think I can still remember the stress in that moment. We had no idea what we were doing wrong, and I remember checking if I had fastened in my seat belt, or wondering what was happening to us. In the moment the policeman talking to us, it seemed like every little thing was something that we might be in trouble for.

I respect the police force. I think they fulfill an important role in society. But I also think they hold a tremendous authority that in the wrong hands can be abused. In the light of many police-related incidents these past few years, I don’t think it’s wrong to have some transparency and oversight in the actions of policemen.