English Writing Garden

            Susan Scutti, in her article “ One Child Policy is One Big Problem for China ” published in Newsweek Global on January 24, 2014, discusses the thirty-five years of China’s official policy regarding of female infanticide and the primary reason for the government making this law.   From 1949 to 1979, the year this law was started, China’s population grew from 542 million to 975 million.   With an increase in birth rates the government was concerned there would be insufficient resources if its population continued to increase.               China has a long-standing cultural bias against females.   Males are expected to take care of elderly parents so parents desire male babies.   There are stories of parents killing female babies. Even in 2005 the government continued this official anti-female bias by associating female babies with disabled babies as a reason to allow a second child.   According to Scutti, “This pairing of ‘girl’ and ‘disabled’ is hardly an accident.  

       In her article, “Haircuts of or Turbans?”; published in The New York Times on September 3, 2007,Amelia Gentleman describes why Sikhs cut their  hair in an American style.   " Sikhism was founded at the end of the 15th century in northern India. It is based on a belief in one God and the rejection of the Hindu caste system, which divided Indian society into hereditary classes."        Many young Sikhs are forgoing turbans and cutting their long hair-leaving spiritual leaders dismayed.  When he was 14, Jugraj Singh abandoned his turban and had a lifetime growth of hair cut off. Like many young Sikhs in India, Sigh found his turban too conspicuous emblem of the Sikh faith. There are many reasons why they cut their hair.  "For Jugraj it got in the way when he took judo classes.  And washing his long hair was time-consuming, as was the morning ritual of unwinding seven yards of  cloth around his head." In the end, it is was a question of fashion says Singh.