Kathleen's Page

Name: Kathleen Halloran
Age: 19
Location: Helensburgh
What I like: Books, movies, music, tv shows, reading, writing, soccer, Chelsea (FC).
What I don't like: Manchester United, annoying people, being tickled and getting up early in the morning.
Why I feel like a slushie RIGHT NOW: Because god they're good.




Article:
When I first began my current course, my filing system was atrocious. Everything went on the floor. Occasionally I would try to organise my books into a proper pile, but then I would have to go rifling through the pile the next day, and everything would fall apart.
This idea came about after sitting in class, doodling in the back of my book. I had the idea of using calico to make a wall hanging that would hold my books. I have slightly altered the basic design from my initial sketches, but overall it has remained very much the same.
To make this wall hanging, I used a sewing machine. You can find second hand sewing machines on eBay or in second hand shops, or you can hand stitch.

You will need:
• 3m of fabric (I used white calico)
• 1 spool of thread
• Newspaper
• Ruler/measuring tape
• Stiff cardboard measuring 78cmx66cm
• Standard pins (the type with the large round heads)
• Scissors
• A pen
• Sticky tape
• Things to decorate the hanging, such as buttons, beads and iron on patches.
1. First you need to make a pattern. Take some sheets of newspaper and overlap them slightly, before taping them together. You need to make a square of paper big enough to rule out a rectangle 80cm by 68 cm (see figure to the left). Cut the rectangle out, and set it aside.
2. Take another sheet of newspaper, and rule out a trapezium shape (it looks like a pyramid with its top sliced off). The measurements should be 28cm by 35cm by 35 cm (see the figure to the right). Cut this out and set it aside.
N.B. The measurements allow for a 1 cm seam on all sides.
3. Pin the newspaper rectangle to the fabric, making sure to avoid wasting as much fabric as possible. Cut out two of these calico rectangles. This will become your backing. Then, pin the newspaper trapezium and cut out six shapes. These will become your pockets. Again, make sure to avoid wasting any fabric – cut close to the edges.
4. Take each of the trapeziums and sew a 1cm seam along the top. Don’t worry about sewing a seam along the bottom.
5. Pick up three of the pockets, and pin together on the diagonal sides. It should look like the figure on the right when done.
6. Sew the pockets together, and then repeat steps 5 and 6 with the other three pockets. Then, iron the seams flat.
7. Now comes the confusing part. Take one of the calico rectangles, and set the other one aside. You won’t use that one for a while. Line one of the strips of pockets up with the base of the calico rectangle, with the seams of the pockets against the right side of the calico. It should look like the figure on the left. Pin this together, and then sew them together, with a 1 cm seam.
8. Next, sew the right side of the pocket strip to the right side of the rectangle, leaving a 1cm seam. Repeat with the other side. Then, sew up along the two centre joins of the pockets, making sure to sew in a vertical line, not a diagonal line. This creates your pockets. It should look like the figure on the right.
9. Next, take the second pocket strip. Lay it face down against the bottom strip of pocket, so that what would usually be the bottom edge of the strip is 1cm above the top of the first strip. Pin it to the rectangle, and then sew it, so the seam line runs along the top of the first strip. Make sure not to catch any of the bottom pockets in the seam.
10. Flip the second strip of pockets over so it is face up, and the seam is hidden. Then, sew the left side of the strip against the left side of the rectangle, and sew the right side of the strip against the right side of the rectangle. Then sew along the join lines, as you did on the bottom strip. When finished, it should look like the figure on the left.

11. Good! You’re almost done. Now, take the other calico rectangle, and lay it face to face with your half finished wall hanging. Pin it together, and then sew a 1cm seam around the sides and bottom, leaving the top open. Turn it inside out, so the pockets are showing. Your seams from the pocket strips should be hidden at this point.
12. Now is the time to decorate your wall hanging! Hand stitch buttons and beads on, or iron on letters and day names. I use five of the pockets for Monday – Friday, with the sixth as a miscellaneous pocket.
13. Cut around four 16cm by 4cm strips of fabric from the excess fabric, and sew each one together, so you have four individual, long tubes. Turn them inside out so that the seams are on the inside, and then iron them flat. Fold each one in half so they form loops, and slip 2cm of them into the gap between the front and the back parts of the backing. Space them evenly along the backing, and sew them to the back part of the backing.
14. Take the thick piece of cardboard and slip it into the backing. If the seams were correct, it should fit perfectly. Finally, flip the tops of the backing over and hand stitch together.
That’s it! You’ve completed your very own calico wall hanging! Fill these with your class work and notes, and feel organised!




Kathleen, Jacinta, Belinda T and Kris's page for the webpage:

Safe Partying

Drinking can be dangerous – even more so when you bring drugs into the mix. In recent years, the amount of hospitalisations have soared. Binge drinking can leave you with long lasting problems, such as STDs, pregnancy, liver damage, brain damage or injury. On top of that, friendships can disintegrate, and illegal activity can occur.

Mocktails

Mango Mocktail
Ingredients
• 1 Lime Wedge
• Sugar for rim
• 30ml mango puree
• 90ml white grape juice
Directions
• Moisten the rim of a champagne glass with the wedge of lime. Dip the rim into granulated sugar. Add mango puree and white grape juice.
• Decorate cocktail glass with the wedged lime.
Banana Rama Mocktail
Ingredients
• 1 cup of ice
• 1 banana
• 8 strawberries
• 150ml of pineapple juice
• 120ml coconut milk
Directions
• In a blender combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth. Garnish with a slice of banana or strawberry.
Brilliant Sunset
Ingredients
• crushed ice
• 4 tablespoons grenadine, divided
• 4 cups of orange juice, divided
• 4 maraschino cherries
• 4 orange slices
Directions
• Add ice to 4 glasses.
• Pour 1 tablespoon grenadine over ice in each glass. Slowly add 1 cup of orange juice to produce the sunset effect.
• Garnish with an orange slice and cherry. Stir if desired before drinking.
Brilliant Christmas Sunset
Ingredients
• Crushed ice
• 4 tablespoons pomegranate
• 4 cups of orange juice
Directions
• Add ice to four glasses. Pour 1 tablespoon pomegranate juice over ice in each glass. Slowly add one cup of orange juice. Stir if desired.
Cherry Fiz
Ingredients
• ½ cup frozen cherry juice concentrate, thawed
• ½ cup of ginger ale
Directions
Place cherry concentrate in glass. Slowly stir in ginger ale.

Top Ten Tips

If you are going to drink, however, you’ll need to know what you’re doing first. Here are some top ten tips, to help you have a fantastic night.
1. Make a plan when you go out: It’s always more fun if you know what you want to do and where you want to go. It’s also much more safe. Have a plan, and make sure you have everyone’s phone number, a place to meet up, and a way to get home if you get separated.
2. Keep your eye on your drink at all times. Spiking is dangerous, and if you’re not careful it will happen to you. Finish your drink before you get up to go anywhere, and make sure if you walk around carrying it, you watch it carefully.
3. Don’t mix alcohol and drugs. Drinks, when combined, can have a nasty effect on the body. This can range from throwing up, to a more severe hangover, to some harmful effects.
4. Drink a lot of water. Alcohol dehydrates the water, as does soft drink, so make sure you drink water often, preferably between every drink.
5. Look out for your friends, and make sure your friends look out for you. A good thing to do is set up a buddy system.
6. If you are invited to a party, don’t spread the invitation to other people.
7. Eat before you drink. Make sure that you don’t drink on an empty stomach. If you drink on an empty stomach, you will feel drunker, quicker, and then feel much more sicker, not to mention wake up with an awful hangover.
8. Keep your phone with you at all times. If there is an emergency, you will need your phone. Don’t lend it out or let your friends play with it – more than likely, messages will get sent that you don’t know about. Avoid the fights and headache, and just keep your phone with you.
9. Don’t hold parties at your house. It’s not worth the hassle. Not only will you have to supply a lot of things like alcohol and food, you have the risk of gatecrashers, and your things may get broken or stolen. Then, the next morning you will have to clean up.
10. Don’t take drugs. Don’t get into a situation where you may be pressured to take drugs. You can never be sure exactly what is in the drugs that you are taking, and things can start to go bad, very quickly. Don’t take the risk. Don’t feel like you’re a prude for not taking drugs – would you rather end up as a vegetable, or dead?

Mythbusters

MYTH: Beer is less intoxicating than other types of alcoholic beverage
All alcohol no matter what form is equally intoxicating.
MYTH: Switching between beer, wine and liquor will make you drunker
Mixing types of drinks may make you sicker by upsetting your stomach, but not more intoxicated.
MYTH: Everyone reacts to alcohol the same way
Many factors that affect a person’s reaction to alcohol- body weight, metabolism, gender, body chemistry and many others
MYTH: Eating a big meal before you drink will keep you sober
Drinking on a big stomach will only delay the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, not prevent it.
MYTH: Cold Showers, fresh air or hot coffee help sober a person.
FACT: Only time will remove alcohol from the system. It takes the body approximately one hour to eliminate the alcohol in one drink. An old saying goes, "give a drunk a cup of coffee and all you have is a wide-awake drunk.
Myth: Alcohol peps you up
Alcohol is a depressant drug, not a stimulant. It slows down the activity in the central nervous system, including the brain. Depressants affect concentration and coordination, and slow the response time to unexpected situations.
Myth: Alcohol is a safe drug because it’s legal
One young Australian aged between 14 and 17 years of age dies every week as a direct result of alcohol.
Myth: At least alcohol is safer than other drugs
Alcohol kills 6.5 times more youth than all other illegal drugs combined.
MYTH: Alcohol makes sex better.
TRUTH: Wrong again. Alcohol can make people feel less uncomfortable in a social situation. But the reality is that alcohol can actually keep guys from getting or keeping an erection, and it can lower girls' sex drives, too. More importantly, alcohol can affect your decision-making ability: You might put yourself in a risky situation; you might think you're ready to have sex when you're not or you might forget to use a condom — which can result in pregnancy and/or contracting a sexually transmitted disease.
MYTH: If I drink too much, the worst thing that can happen is I get my stomach pumped.
TRUTH: No way. If alcohol is drunk excessively, it can lead to alcohol poisoning which can cause death. Also, drinking excessive alcohol can cause vomiting. When drunk and unconscious, a person may inhale fluids that have been vomited, resulting in death by asphyxiation. Long-term, heavy use of alcohol can lead to addiction (alcoholism), and can even cause a heart attack or stroke.
MYTH: Talk to me about drugs - that's a bigger issue than alcohol.
TRUTH: Both drugs and alcohol are serious problems among teens. Alcohol kills young people just like cocaine, heroin and other serious illegal drugs. Also, according to recent studies, nearly one-half (47%) of persons who began drinking before age 14 were alcohol dependent at some point in their lifetime.
MYTH: Alcohol isn't harmful to my body.
TRUTH: Again, this statement is wrong. Large amounts of alcohol can take its toll on your body, causing disturbed sleep, nausea, and vomiting as well as a dreaded hangover. Heavy drinking can inhibit the firing of nerve cells that control breathing, a condition known as respiratory depression — a condition that can be fatal.


Pictures for the webpage:






















I got these pictures from flickr - they were all under the right type of licence, and I saved the files on my computer as the username of the author.

Photo for my article:



Jo Kay - I'm away for two weeks, so I've managed to find an internet cafe to post this, but I think this is the last time I'll be using the internet for two weeks (down the south coast in a caravan park). However, I'll be back next term doing the other half of the combined class (as I joined half way through the year), so if there is any issues, is it okay if we sort them out next term? I think I've done everything I have to, though, so I hope there aren't any issues! Have a merry Christmas, too! - Kathleen.

Links:

• Kathleen's Draft Article
• Kathleen's Tools Research