Outdoor Living – Patio Furniture – Refurbish Old Household Items To Compliment New Ones – Part One

Are you looking to save money on patio furniture for your outdoor living area? Of course. A few new pieces in cedar, rattan or teak that can form the centre pieces for your creation are always a good place to start but they are not the only choices. Often old household items no longer wanted indoors can be refurbished as attractive and functional complements to whatever furniture set that has been purchased. Look around, be selective and use your imagination. Here is how I will add one piece to my ensemble.Before we moved, I had an old enameled steel-topped wooden table used in the laundry room. I knew it was somewhat valuable because when I used it once to display items in a yard sale, the dealers who always show up early were more interested in it than in anything displayed on top. It traveled with us in the move but had no functional place in our new home and sat outside under a tarp. When I finally got around to dealing with it this year, two of the legs had rotted on the bottom. It is either junk or I must become creative. Choosing the latter, I envision it as a perfect addition to my patio.First, I need to remove three inches from each leg to remove the rotten portions. I see two choices here. One, I can cut off more than three inches and turn it into a coffee table or end table. Or, two, I can stick to the necessary three inches, which will make it too tall for the first plan but a bit short for any other use. I need to find a way to re-lengthen it that will be both aesthetic and functional. After thinking this through, I see that I can drill holes in the bottom of each leg and add heavy-duty coasters with brakes to the bottom of each one. This option will bring the table back up to its original height and make it very useful as a serving trolley for the dining area of my patio.Of course, before I attach the coasters I need to re-finish the wooden portions of the table. Two peeling layers of paint will be scraped off, then the entire piece sanded smooth. Since the wood is simple fir, I need to choose a finish that will make the table compliment the white enameled top and my plan for patio furniture. Paint will work but instead I will use an ebony stain well rubbed. A stain will highlight the wood grain, fitting for a patio piece, while the ebony color will tie together the black coasters and the white top. Ebony also compliments my planned cedar and rattan patio furniture without seeming like a bad attempt at a match.The final piece of this puzzle is the handle for the single drawer of the table. The old handle is very plain and very tarnished, but I quite like it. Rather than replace it, I will remove the tarnish and polish the surface. I believe it will give the table a collector’s piece air. In the end, this “new” table will add beauty to the patio and play a key role in patio life.Remember, do not be quick to throw out throw out pieces that outlive their initial purpose. Use your imagination; they may find a new life on your patio that will enhance your outdoor living experience.

The Art of Hanging Art

Follow these insider tips to learn the perfect way to display your contemporary art.PLACEMENT
Whether you are hanging a priceless heirloom or a Contemporary Limited Edition Art Print; hanging several pieces of art or just one painting, proper placement is critical. The most important considerations for placement of art are the scale of the room and the art itself.Always follow the general rule of big art in big spaces, small art in small spaces. And always hang art with the centre of the picture at eye level which is 155-170cm from the floor.LARGE ART
Large modern art look good when placed over pieces of furniture or a fireplace. But make sure that the art is NOT longer than the furniture. It should be about 2/3 to 3/4 of the length of the object over which it hangs.Never leave more than 20cm of wall space between the base of your paintings and the object over which it hangs. Otherwise the eye will focus on the wall rather than your art.SMALL ART
Try to group small pieces of art where possible. Using similar or matching frames and mounts will bring unity to the set but is not necessary if the theme or colours of the paintings already provide unity.GROUPING ART
One of the most interesting ways of displaying contemporary art is in groupings, which can be used in large or small spaces. There are several professional ways of grouping your contemporary art collection as described below.Salon Display
Select a group of paintings with a common theme such as colour, subject matter or even frame type. Pieces need to be of different sizes and can be centred or lined up above each other and next to each other. Spacing between pieces should be kept consistent to avoid the layout appearing random.Horizontal Display
Group a collection of differently framed art works directly next to each other with the frames almost touching. This allows a display of several art works in a small space. It works best with an odd number of pieces and the largest piece in the middle and getting smaller as it goes out.Vertical Display
Group a collection of uniquely framed art works directly on top of each other with the frames almost touching. The uniqueness of the frames and their various shapes and sizes are both emphasized along a vertical axis.Mosaic Display
This type of arrangement is perfect for an architectural niche and uses pieces of art of various sizes. Start by lining up the outside pieces for a consistent square or rectangular outer edge and then fill in the remaining space. The spacing becomes irregular as you get toward the middle but it works because the edges form a regular shape.Symmetrical Display
Display a collection of pieces of the same size in the same frames and with the same distance between them. This can either be a single row of art works or rows can be added to create a grid. This is particularly effective when the theme of all the pieces is the same.Asymmetrical Display
Group a combination of three pieces of art to achieve a balanced asymmetrical display with the two smaller pieces stacked and centred alongside the larger piece.PLANNING A CONTEMPORARY ART GROUPINGBefore you hang the Art:1. Decide which contemporary art you are going to group together based on a common element that allows the art to work together i.e. theme, colour, frame type etc.2. Decide which layout you are going to use – Mosaic Display, Horizontal Display, Salon Display etc as discussed above.3. Measure the wall, top to bottom and left to right and the sizes of all the individual pieces of art to be hung.4. Arrange the contemporary art works on the floor in your chosen layout with 3 – 6 cm between them.5. Transfer the arrangement to the wall. Place the paintings – in their frames – on some old newspaper. Trace the outside of the frame and cut out the shape. Stick your life-sized paper replicas onto the wall using low tack masking tape.Hanging the Art1. Find the number of picture hooks you need. 1 for pictures with a width less than 75cm otherwise 2 picture hooks.2. Determine the size of hook to use. Check the weight of your picture(s) and buy the appropriate size hook.3. Mark the horizontal position of the hooks on the wall. Using your paper replicas make a short horizontal pencil line across the top and then a short vertical line down at the centre so that you have made an upside down ‘T’ at the top of the picture. If the picture is over 75cm then you need to make 2 more marks at 1/3rd and 2/3rds across the width.4. Mark the vertical position of the hooks on the wall. If the picture has a string then find the centre and measure the distance from the string when taut to the top of the picture. If the picture has a ‘saw tooth’ canvas hanger then measure the distance from the bottom edge of the hanger to the top of the picture.5. Hammer in your hooks by placing the bottom of the hook where the ‘T’ line intersects.

Health and Sanitation Practices and Academic Performance of Grade VI Pupils

The provision of health sanitation is a key development intervention – without it, ill health dominates a life without dignity. Simply having access to sanitation increases health, well-being and economic productivity. Inadequate sanitation impacts individuals, households, communities and countries. Despite its importance, achieving real gains in sanitation coverage has been slow. Achieving the internationally agreed targets for sanitation and hygiene poses a significant challenge to the global community and can only be accomplished if action is taken now. Low-cost, appropriate technologies are available. Effective program management approaches have been developed. Political will and concerted actions by all stakeholders can improve the lives of millions of people in the immediate future.Nearly 40 percent of the world’s population (2.4 billion) has no access to hygienic means of personal sanitation. World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1.8 million people die each year from diarrheal diseases, 200 million people are infected with schistosomiasis and more than 1 billion people suffer from soil-transmitted helminthes infections. A Special Session on Children of the United Nations General Assembly (2002) reported that nearly 5,500 children die every day from diseases caused by contaminated food and water because of health and sanitation malpractice.Increasing access to sanitation and improving hygienic behaviors are keys to reducing this enormous disease burden. In addition, such changes would increase school attendance, especially for girls, and help school children to learn better. They could also have a major effect on the economies of many countries – both rich and poor – and on the empowerment of women. Most of these benefits would accrue in developing nations.The global community has set ambitious targets for improving access to sanitation by 2015. Achieving these goals will have a dramatic impact on the lives of hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest people and will open the door to further economic development for tens of thousands of communities. Access to adequate sanitation literally signifies crossing the most critical barrier to a life of dignity and fulfillment of basic needs.This study determined the health and sanitation practices of the Grade VI pupils in selected public schools in the district of Diadi, Province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. This research undertaking utilized the descriptive correlation method of research to establish the influence of the profile variables on the respondents’ health practices, sanitation practices, and their academic performance, as well as the relationship between health and sanitation practices with academic performance. The following are the significant findings of the study:Twenty five or 37.31 percent of the respondents are 12 years old; 41 or 61.19 percent are female; 47 or 70.14 percent are Roman Catholics; 22 or 32.84 percent are Ilocano; 20 or 20.89 of the respondents’ fathers reached elementary school level; 21 or 31.34 percent of their mothers are college graduates; 50 or 74.63 percent of their fathers are farmers; 38 or 56.72 percent are housekeepers; 34 or 50.75 percent have family income of 5,000.00 and below; 38 or 56.72 percent have 4 to 6 family members; 36 or 53.73 percent have 2 sanitation facilities; and 42 or 62.69 received 5 immunizations.Health practices in the school obtained a grand mean of 3.89; 3.90 for health practices in the home; and 3.62 for health practices in the community, all qualitatively described as very satisfactory. The respondents perceived their sanitation practices in the school as very satisfactory with a grand mean of 3.44; also very satisfactory for sanitation practices in the home with 3.55; and again, very satisfactory for sanitation practices in the community, with 3.26 grand mean.The perceived health practices of the respondents in the home significantly differ when they are grouped according to father’s educational attainment, mother’s educational attainment, father’s occupation, mother’s occupation, family monthly income, type of dwelling, and number of sanitation facilities as evidenced by the computed t-test and F-test results of 2.39, 2.64, 3.19, 3.28, 2.93, 3.18, and 3.19 respectively which are higher than the critical value at 0.05 level of significance. On the other hand, age, gender, mother’s educational attainment, mother’s occupation, type of dwelling, and number of sanitation facilities caused significant differences in the perceived health practices of the respondents in the school as shown by the computed t-test and F-test results of 3.15, 2.03, 2.39, 3.18, 3.16, and 3.74, respectively; all are higher than the critical values at 0.05 level of significance. Significant differences were also noted in the respondents’ health practices in the community when they are grouped according to ethnicity, father’s educational attainment, mother’s educational attainment, father’s occupation, mother’s occupation, family monthly income, number of sanitation facilities, and number of immunization received because the computed t-test and F-test results of 2.76, 2.37, 2.41, 3.148, 3.16, 2.79, 3.26, and 3.17 respectively are higher that the critical values at 0.05 level of significance.There exists a significant difference in the respondents’ sanitation practices in the home when they are grouped according to gender, ethnicity, father’s educational attainment, mother’s educational attainment, family monthly income, type of dwelling, and number of sanitation facilities because the computed values of t-test and F-test results of 2.05, 2.79, 2.37, 2.51, 2.78, 3.29, and 3.16 respectively are higher than the critical values at 0.05 level of significance. Moreover, gender, ethnicity, father’s educational attainment, mother’s educational attainment, family monthly income and number of sanitation practices caused significant variation in the respondents sanitation practices in the school as evidenced by the computed values of 2.15, 2.81, 2.42, 2.87, 2.83, and 3.79 respectively; all are also higher than the critical values at 0.05 level of significance. On the other hand, the respondents perception of their sanitation practices in the community differs when they are grouped according to gender, father’s educational attainment, mother’s educational attainment, father’s occupation, mother’s occupation, family monthly income and number of sanitation facilities since the computed t-test and F-test results of 2.06, 2.37, 2.41, 3.17, 3.148, 2.78, and 3.25 respectively are higher than the critical values at 0.05 level of significance.There exists a significant difference in the respondents’ academic achievements when grouped according to gender, as indicated by the computed value of 2.27, which is higher than 1.99 critical values. Father’s and mother’s educational attainment with the computed values of 2.74 and 2.64, respectively, both higher than the critical value of 2.368, and their occupation with 3.17 and 3.27, respectively both higher than the critical value of 3.142 constitute significant variance in the respondents’ academic performance. Family monthly income and number of immunizations received, with the computed values of 2.86 and 3.19, respectively which are higher than the critical values of 2.754 and 3.142, respectively significantly differentiated the respondents’ academic performances. The rest of the variables – age, religion, ethnicity, number of family members, type of dwelling, and number of sanitation facilities do not cause significant differences because the computed values of 2.94, 1.86, 2.71, 2.89, 1.97, and 3.08 respectively were lower than the critical values at 0.05 level of significance.There is very significant relationship between health practices and sanitation practices as evidenced by the computed r-value of 0.72 which is higher than the critical value of 0.241 for 65 degrees of freedom at 0.05 level of significance, indicating high correlation, with a coefficient of determination of 51.84 percent.There exists a very small positive correlation between health practices and academic performance, as indicated by the computed r-value of 0.238 with an equivalent computed t-value of 2.198 which is higher than the critical t-value of 1.99 for 65 degrees of freedom at 0.05 level of significance. The said correlation is significant. Moreover, sanitation practices and academic performance have small positive correlation, as evidenced by the computed r-value of 0.226 with an equivalent computed t-value of 2.07 which is higher than the critical t-value of 1.99 for 65 degrees of freedom at 0.05 level of significance. This result is statistically inferred as significant.Based on the foregoing significant findings, hereunder are the conclusions.1. The respondents are in their pre-adolescence stage, female, Roman Catholics, Ilocano, have fathers who reached elementary level, mothers who are college graduates, have fathers who are farmers, have mothers who are housekeeper, have low income, belong to medium-sized families, have concrete dwellings, have limited sanitation facilities and adequate immunization received.2. The respondents also have very satisfactory health practices at home, in the school, and in the community. The same group of respondents has very satisfactory sanitation practices at home, in the school, and satisfactory sanitation practices in the community.3. The respondents have proficient academic performance.4. Health and sanitation practices of the respondents differ when they are grouped according to selected profile variables.5. Academic performance of the respondents differs when they are grouped according to gender, parents’ occupation, family income and number of immunizations received, but not with age, ethnicity, number of family members, type of dwelling and number of sanitation facilities.6. Very significant relationship exists between health practices and sanitation practices of the respondents.7. Very significant correlation exists between the respondents’ health and sanitation practices and their academic performance.Premised on the above-cited findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are offered:1. Although the respondents demonstrate very satisfactory health and sanitation practices, these should still be enhanced and sustained by implementing various health and sanitation programs.2. The school, as the lead agency, should orchestrate its efforts with other government agencies, such as the DOH, DSWD, DENR, LGU and non-government sectors for the sustainability of health and sanitation programs.3. Activities geared towards sustainability of health and sanitation must be designed/conceptualized, such as conduct of search for healthiest pupil, most sanitary classroom/school and should be expanded to the home and community.4. The scheme of having teacher-coordinators for each purok should be strengthened so that the health and sanitation thereat be improved and maintained.5. Since there is significant relationship between health and sanitation practices and pupils’ academic performance, schools must spearhead the provision of health and sanitation facilities to keep pupils always reminded of their health and sanitation practices.