The Concept Of Poverty Research Paper Example

The Concept Of Poverty Research Paper Example The Concept Of Poverty Paper The Concept Of Poverty Paper The term ‘poverty’ has become very common in this world today. In fact, it has been a part of the everyday language of most people. But despite the common use of this word, it concept of essence has not been grasp fully or in totality by the majority. Because of this, they are misled to what really is centered on the concept of poverty. For the many, poverty would be defined as just the absence or lack or material possessions. To other, the lack of money can be equated to poverty. On a deeper sense, poverty can be defined as the deprivation of an individual on the three basic needs for survival- food, clothing and housing. All of these definitions are deemed correct. However, the concept of poverty has come a long way. Poverty today goes beyond the lack of material possessions or the deprivation of the three basic needs of a human being. For all we know, the concept of poverty may have developed to become a subjective term. The ‘Copenhagen Declaration’ of the United Nations defines poverty as â€Å"a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. † With this, people can be considered as poor when they are unable to eat, have access to hospital care or even go to school regardless of their income. (ThinkQuest, 2006) With this, one can say that there are different measures utilized in order to determine the state of poverty of a person. Some would employ quantitative means in order to measure poverty while other would rely on the qualitative aspect. More so, some people would emphasize the importance of the two approaches, thus the combination of it would yield the best result. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (Anup, 2006), have come up with a definition of poverty line to mean one dollar per day. However, this measure has been criticized by many because it can not really provide a true picture of global poverty. This is evident in the issues of poverty threshold. For instance, in the family of four in the United States, they live with eleven dollars a day in order to survive. As such, this measure of poverty is deemed not effective since it misses out much of humanity to understand the impacts. According to the U. S. Census Bureau (2007), poverty is defined at the family level and not at the household level. As such, the household can be considered as poor when the householder’s family has a total income which is below the appropriate poverty threshold. Meanwhile, there are also different criteria in determining poverty threshold. This includes the number of children, the size of the family, age and many more. In the United States, it has been claimed that in spite of the steady decline of poverty in the country, there is still a higher rate of poverty today than before. In 1998, the Census Bureau states that there are 34. 5 million Americans who are poor. Although this rate is considered as relatively low, because of the continuous decline, it is still generally higher when compared in the 1970s wherein it ranged from 11 to 12. 6 percent. Furthermore, the characteristic of poverty is America is far from uniform. Particularly, the poverty in the country varies by age, region, family composition and race. (Almanac of Policy Issues, 2007) And so, with the significant presence of poverty in the United States, there is a need for the relatively wealthy family to help the poor. More importantly, the leaders of the country are expected to devise policies which can alleviate poverty and as well as promote sustainable development for the long-term welfare of the poor.

The History of the Palladian Window

The History of the Palladian Window A Palladian window is a specific design, a large, three-section window where the center section is arched and larger than the two side sections. Renaissance architecture and other buildings in classical styles often have Palladian windows. On Adam or Federal style houses, a more spectacular window is often in the center of the second story - often a Palladian window. Why Would You Want a Palladian Window in a New Home? Palladian windows are generally enormous in size - even larger than so-called picture windows. They allow a great deal of sunlight to enter the interior, which, in modern times, would maintain that indoor-outdoor intent. Yet you would rarely find a Palladian window in a Ranch style home, where picture windows are common. So, whats the difference? Palladian windows project a more stately and formal feeling. House styles that are designed to be informal, like the Ranch style or Arts and Crafts, or created for the budget-minded, like the Minimal Traditional home, would look silly with an overly large, Renaissance-era Italian window like the Palladian window. Picture windows often come in three sections, and even three-sectioned slider windows may have grids with circular tops, but these are not Palladian style windows. So, if you have a very large house and you want to express a formality, consider a new Palladian window - if its in your budget. Definitions of Palladian Window Window having a broad arched central section with lower flat-headed side portions. - G. E. Kidder Smith, Source Book of American Architecture, Princeton Architectural Press, 1996, p. 646 A window of large size, characteristic of neoclassic styles, divided by columns or piers resembling pilasters, into three lights, the middle one of which is usually wider than the others, and is sometimes arched. - Â   Dictionary of Architecture and Construction, Cyril M. Harris, ed., McGraw- Hill, 1975, p. 527 The Name Palladian The term Palladian comes from Andrea Palladio, a Renaissance architect whose work inspired some of the greatest buildings throughout Europe and the United States. Modeled after classical Greek and Roman forms, such as the arched windows of the Baths of Diocletian, Palladios buildings often featured arched openings. Most famously, the three-part openings of the Basilica Palladiana (c. 1600) directly inspired todays Palladian windows, including the window in the 18th century Dumfries House in Scotland shown on this page. Other Names for Palladian Windows Venetian Window: Palladio did not invent the three-part design that was used for the Basilica Palladiana in Venice, Italy, so this type of window is sometimes called Venetian after the city of Venice. Serliana Window: Sebastiano Serlio was a 16th century architect and author of an influential series of books, Architettura. The Renaissance was a time when architects borrowed ideas from each other. The three-part column and arch design used by Palladio had been illustrated in Serlianas books, so some people give him the credit. Examples of Palladian Windows Palladian windows are common wherever an elegant touch is desired. George Washington had one installed at his Virginia home, Mount Vernon, to illuminate the large dining room. Dr. Lydia Mattice Brandt has described it as one of the houses most distinctive features. In the United Kingdom, the Mansion House in Ashbourne has been remodeled with a Diocletian window AND a Palladian window over the the front door. The Wedding Cake House in Kennebunk, Maine, a Gothic Revival pretender, has a Palladian window on the second story, over the fanlight over the front door. Source Serliana, The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, Third Edition, by John Fleming, Hugh Honour, and Nikolaus Pevsner, Penguin, 1980, p. 295