Kristen+L

=Statisitics= USA || 47,200 || 36.9 || 78.37 || 99% || 2.06 born/woman || Japan || 34,000 || 44.8 || 82.25 || 99% || 1.21 born/woman || Brazil || 10,800 || 29.3 || 72.53 || 88.6% || 2.18 born/woman || India || 3,500 || 26.2 || 66.8 || 61% || 2.62 born/woman || Afghanistan || 900 || 18.2 || 45.02 || 28.1% || 5.39 born/woman ||
 * = Country || Income Per Capita || Median Age || Life Expectancy || Literacy Rate || Total Fertility Rate ||
 * = Baseline
 * = High Income:
 * = Middle Upper:
 * = Middle Lower:
 * = Lower Income:

=High Income Living Conditions: Japan= Primary Source: [] Person Researched: Takashi Story/Description: Takashi is a ten year old living in Tokyo Japan. In the morning Takashi eats breakfast at a table called a kotatsu. A kotatsu is so low so that you can sit on mats with your legs under the table. After breakfast he starts to walk to school. School starts in April. They attend school after their 6th birthday. Takashi goes to school Monday-Friday and every other Saturday. At lunch time they eat in their classrooms. Takashi and his schoolmates eat with chopsticks, and they usually ear fried noodles and rice curry. Takashi says that in Japan they eat rice and drink tea with almost every meal. When its time to play, many parents disapprove. Parents hire tutors to work with them, even on the weekends. Takashi also has school in the summer, too. He also has Kendo twice a week. Kendo is the method of sword fighting used by the samurai warriors. Some other sports popular in Japan are Wrestling, Judo, Archery, Baseball, Golf and Karate. Takashi and his family follow the Shinto religion. He worships gods found in mountains, trees, rivers, rocks, and other parts of nature. Takashi also worships his ancestors. Another popular religion is Buddhism. Buddhists believe that you can get peace and happiness by living a life filled with wisdom and virtue. Japan has three main national holidays. The Emperor's Birthday, New Years Day, and Constitution Day.

Paragraph Analysis: The country of Japan's income per capita is 34,000 dollars. The median age is 44.8 years old, while life expectancy is 82.25. It's obvious that Takashi's family's lifestyle can affect their life expectancy because they follow the Shinto religion. The Shinto religion is the worship of gods in mountains, trees, rivers, rocks and other parts of nature. This religion is very peaceful and relaxing which may add years to one's life. Also, Takashi says that in Japan they eat rice and drink tea with every meal. By eating healthy this may add years to one's life as well. The Total Fertility Rate in Japan is 1.21 babies per family. Takashi's family includes him, his sister, and his two parents. I understand that the literacy rate is 99% in Japan because Takashi says that he and his fellow students attend school Monday through Friday and every other Saturday. They also attend school during the summer and many parents hire tutors for their children for further help outside of class.

=Middle-Upper Income Living Conditions: Brazil= Primary Source: []

Person Researched: Messias

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Messias lives in Brazil. She is 10 years old and will finish school in 4 years. Kids go from school from 7 years to 14 years old. In Brazil, Messias only has 4 hours of school a day. The people in her country come from many backgrounds. Like most people in her country she is from European ancestry. Messias is German, Italian, and Spanish. She says there is less than 1% of original Brazilians or "Indians" still living in Brazil. Messias family is Roman Catholic, like most people in Brazil. Everyone in Brazil likes soccer, and you can tell because there is a stadium in every city. 3\4 of Brazilians live in cities, most of which are on the coast. When Messias walks to school she see's many food vendors selling pineapples, melons, grapes, Brazil nuts, and locally grown palm fruit. In Brazil, they speak Portuguese. Messias also says that, 60% of Brazilian homes have no toilets or drains, 52% have no waste collection, and 70% have no running water. ======

Paragraph Analysis: The country of Brazil's income per capita is 10,800. In most Brazilian homes 60% do not have toilets or drains, 52% have no waste collection and 70% do not have running water. This tells me that Brazilian people do not have enough income to be able to afford many of the things that Americans take for granted. A lot of families make their income by selling local fruits and nuts along the street. The median age is 29.3 while the life expectancy is 72.53. This information sounds correct considering that most Brazilians don't have suitable living conditions (sentence above) although soccer is a popular sport and everyone in Brazil plays soccer for physical activity. The Literacy Rate in Brazil is 88.6%. Like Messias stated, kids go from school from 7 to 14 years old, for 4 hours a day, which explains for the somewhat average literacy rate. Total Fertility rate is 2.18, in Brazil and Messias is an only child.

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=Middle-Lower Income Living Conditions: India= Primary Source: []

Person Researched: Rajasthan

Story/Description: Rajasthan is a 9 year old who lives in India. India has the 2nd largest population in the world. He says that the land in India has deserts, jungles, plains, mighty rivers, and the tallest mountain system in the world. Rajasthan says that the people of India speak 16 different languages, and the main language is Hindi. In India, there is lots of spicy food because they produce lots and lots of spices. Rajasthan says that India is famous for it's woven fabrics and embroidery, they wear cotton, silk and some special wools. Women wear //saris//, which is a garment that wraps around the body. While men wear a //dhoti//, a white cotton brought to the legs and tucked under the waistband. India is the birth place of many religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Hinism, and Sikhism. Rajasthan says that if you lived in Indias you would probably follow Hinduism, because its the biggest religion. For sports in India, Rajasthan says that most boys would wrestle, or play a game with dice. In India, most people get around by bullock carts, cars, horse drawn carts, or even camels. Only 1/3 of the people in India know how to read and write. Some parents only send their son to school. Rajasthan says that people in the city may get a better education, too.

Paragraph Analysis: India's income per capita is 3,500. Rajasthan says that India is famous for their woven fabrics. The median age is 26.8, and life expectancy is 66.8. India's literacy rate is 61%. I think this number is low because if a single country has 16 different languages not everybody is learning to read and write the same language. Like Rajasthan said, only 1/3 of Indians know how to read and write and some parents only send their sons to school. The Total Fertality rate is 2.62. This is surprising considering that India's population is 2nd in the world.

=Lower Income Living Conditions: Afghanistan= Primary Source: []

Person Researched: Fatima

Story/Description: Fatima is a 11 year old girl from Kabul, Afghanistan. Her country has huge mountains, hot deserts, fertile valleys, and rolling plains. Fatima says that in 1996 the Taliban tool control of the country, and they banned television, music and movies. Also, Girls were not allowed to go to school. Luckily she says, that the United States defeated the Taliban in Kabul, and she is excited to go to school. When the Taliban were in power all women had to wear a //burka,// which is a head-to-toe covering with a little hole to see through. Now, women don't have to wear them anymore, but some think that it is part of the their religion and choose to wear one. Fatima says she is very lucky to have any food. Afghanistan usually has plenty of foods growing in the mountains. Rhubarb, currants, gooseberries and all sorts of nuts used to be grown there, but there has been a horrible drought - the worst one in decades. 25,000 kids died of hunger last year. Her baby brother died. It has been ages since Fatima has had a piece of fruit- what she wouldn't give for an orange right now! Fatima's rarely sees her brother who is a sheppard, like most people in Afghanistan. Her brother may not be a sheppard much longer. He is going to get married. When you get married, you are divided from your fiancé by a curtain. Then the groom and other men leave the room. The bride is bathed and dressed at the break of dawn. Finally, the bride is brought to her husband. Fatima's religion is Islam, and the people who practice it are called Muslims. She says that its not easy being a Muslim, but its also not too easy being an Afghan.

Paragraph Analysis: Income per capita in Afghanistan is 900. Fatima says that her family is lucky to have any food at all due to the drought her country is experiencing. In better times they would have plenty of foods that grow in the mountains. Her baby brother perished because of the lack of food. Her older brother, like many other boys, is a shepherd in Afghanistan. Up until the United States defeated the Taliban, Fatima could not attend school, watch television, listen to music, or go to the movies. The Literacy Rate is so low due to the fact that girls could not attend school. Since the Taliban is no longer in charge she is able to go to school. As part as her religion (Islam) she now has the choice to wear a //burka// whereas before she was required to by the Taliban. Life expectancy in Afghanistan is 45.02 years. This number is so low because a lot of children die due to starvation. Life in Afghanistan does not sound easy.

=Conclusion:= In conclusion, i will be comparing and contrasting my chart with two of my classmates. Abigail's highest income country was Australia, while mine was Japan. In comparison, Japan and Australia had fairly similar literacy rates and life expectancy. While similar in those two categories they were slightlly different in others such as Income per capita which was 5,000 dollars higher then what it is in Japan. Abigail's middle income country was Brazil as well, and we both received the same information. Her lower-income country is Bolivia while mine was India. Comparing these two countries Bolivia generally seems to have better statistics then India. Finally Cambodia and Afghanistan