On November 4th, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race, beating out Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa. Here are his promises for New York City. First, his ideas regarding the housing crisis: Freezing rent: the mayor has sole authority to appoint the members of the Rent Guidelines Board, which set the rates for rent-stabilized apartments. Building affordable housing: limiting private development of homes and using public dollars to build 200,000 housing units over the next 10 years. Cracking down on bad landlords: ensuring agencies in charge of housing quality control are properly funded and doing their jobs. Revamping how 311 works: allowing scheduled inspections, city reparations paid for by landlords, seizing particularly dilapidated property; and finally, supporting homeowners and ending deed theft, protecting homeowners from scammers. Next, protecting New Yorkers: He will be creating a Department for community safety which wouldn’t be part of the police force, and providing mental health programs and crisis response. There’ll be an increase in workers in the transit system, programs to show the detriment of gun violence, and increasing funding hate-violence prevention. Third, increasing affordability: Having grocery stores owned by the state would allow prices to stay low, the goal isn’t profit. Also, free buses. People struggle to pay the rising fare prices, while the buses are also slow. He’ll build priority lanes for buses, eliminate fares, and give buses a dedicated loading area to streamline the process. Mamdani also promises to fight corporate exploitation. He believes that Trump is consolidating more power in the rich and wealthy CEOs, scammers, monopolies, and limiting the ability for consumers to influence prices. Furthermore, improving childcare and education. Providing free childcare for children 6 weeks to 5 years of age to support their growth. He’ll also give baby baskets. A package to help out mothers and fathers with essential baby products and resources like information on child development programs. This is only a small handful of his promises in his campaign. You can check out the rest on his platform, here.

Written By: Jason Yan

Source: Zohran for NYC 

December is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Awareness Month. SAD, seasonal affective disorder, is also known as seasonal depression. Seasonal depression most commonly happens when sunlight starts to decrease with the days. The most common type of SAD is known as fall-onset. Most common symptoms include oversleeping, low levels of energy, and can also include overeating. Other symptoms may include feelings of guilt, loss of hope, physical problems and problems thinking straight. Symptoms can start late fall or winter months.

Mostly seasonal affective disorder starts in adulthood. Though the chances for people under the age of 20 to get diagnosed with SAD are low, they are not zero. Studies have found that the number of women who have seasonal affective disorder are higher than the number of men who have the disorder. 

There are multiple ways to treat SAD, though the results can take time. The most common way includes increased exposure to sunlight. Other ways include light therapy, sunlight exposure, antidepressants and psychotherapy. Light therapy involves being in front of a light therapy box that produces immense bright light. Improvements can be seen in two to three weeks. People who are diagnosed with SAD or have symptoms are often advised to talk to friends or family they trust, as it is better than isolating yourself from others. Avoiding eating junk food can also be another factor in improving health. Another piece of advice given is to hold back making decisions that can have a lasting effect.

Written By: Jasmeet K. Sidhu

Sources: Wikipedia, Psychiatry.org, Johns Hopkins Medicine