NOTICEBOARD

Bits and Pieces

Time for a change?

School tours to Melville Koppies. R 20 per learner. Contact Wendy Carstens 011 482 4797

or fomk@mk.org.za Group size: 10-65 (one bus)

"Teach a child how to think, not what to think.” - Sydney Sugarman	"Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know." Daniel Boorstin www.Twitter.com/TeacherNetwork	l "If one took no chances, one would not fly at all. Safety lies in the judgment of the chances one takes. That judgment, in turn, must rest upon one's outlook on life. Any coward can sit in his home and criticize a pilot for flying into a mountain in fog. But I would rather, by far, die on a mountainside than in bed." -- Charles Lindbergh
One of my greatest pleasures in writing has come from the thought that perhaps my work might annoy someone of comfortably pretentious position. Then comes the saddening realization that such people rarely read. -John Kenneth Galbraith, economist (1908-2006)	Within your heart, keep one still, secret spot where dreams may go. - Louise Driscoll	The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning. - George Baker (1877-1965)
When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice. - William James	“Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theatre.” — Gail Godwin	SMOKING could kill more people than AIDS in 2015. See article from IOL NEWS (www.iol.co.za) lower down on this page.

Only disclose what's relevant to the job A cleaner cannot be fired for not saying he has no driver's licence
Ivan Israelstam 02 February 2009 at 06h00 www.iolnews.co.za

At this time of year recruitment of new employees is at its peak. Too many employers are failing to double-check that the qualifications submitted by job candidates are genuine.

Common law entitles employers to know all facts about a prospective employee that are relevant to a job application.

The employee is obliged to:

Divulge information relevant to the decision to appoint where it is clear that the employer requires such information;

Answer certain questions truthfully; and

Desist from exaggerating job qualifications.

Divulging relevant information

For example, where an employee applies for the job of a driver, he/she would be required to divulge that he/she does not have a driver's licence.

However, where the information withheld is not relevant to job suitability it would be dangerous for the employer to act against the employee.

For example, in Sylvester v Neil Muller Constructions (2002, 1 BALR 113) the employee was fired for having failed to inform the employer that he had been given ill-health retirement by a previous employer.

The CCMA found the dismissal to be unfair because the withholding of the information did not prejudice the employer.

On the other hand, in the case of Saccawu obo Waterson v JDG Trading (Pty) Ltd (1999, 3 BALR 353) the arbitrator found that the employee was obliged to divulge to the prospective employer that he had a previous conviction for armed robbery and theft.

However, he was only obliged to make this disclosure because the job he had applied for was that of bookkeeper. The job required the handling of money and the disclosure would have alerted the employer that he was not suited to the job.

However, employers need to view this finding with caution as it was made six years ago. Should such a case now be brought to the Constitutional Court it could be decided that the employee's past record was his own business, that he had paid for his past deeds and that his record should not be held against him.

Answering questions truthfully

Generally, job applicants are required to answer relevant questions truthfully during the screening process. However, what is relevant is a matter for debate. For example, a job applicant may well be able to claim that she was not obliged to answer truthfully a question as to whether she was pregnant because this has nothing to do with her ability to do the work.

The employer might then argue that the maternity leave would interrupt the continuity of the job. However, the employer would then need to prove that the job required continuity and that no alternative interim measure could be implemented to solve the continuity problem.

It is not enough for the employer to prove the employee guilty of misrepresentation.

The employer must prove that honesty is an essential requirement. In Numsa obo Engelbrecht v Delta Motor Corporation (1998, 5 BALR 573) the employee had failed to disclose that he had been fired for theft by his previous employer.

He had lied during his job interview by saying that he had resigned from the previous employer. Delta Motor Corporation then fired the employee for misrepresentation.

Despite the blatant lie told during the job application process, the CCMA found that the dismissal was unfair and ordered the employer to reinstate the employee.

This was because the employer had condoned a similar lie told by another employee.

Exaggerating job qualifications

In Hoch v Mustek Electronics (Pty) Ltd (1999, 12 BLLR 1287) the employee was dismissed for having misrepresented her qualifications.

The Labour Court ruled her dismissal to be fair because her dishonesty had destroyed the trust relationship.

Employers are warned however, that it is insufficient merely to allege that the employee has lied or exaggerated.

The employee must be given an opportunity to respond to such allegations.

In Fraser v Caxton Publishers (2005, 3 BALR 323) the employee was dismissed for embellishing her curriculum vitae. The arbitrator agreed that this misconduct merited dismissal.

However, the employee had not been given a chance to respond to the allegations. The arbitrator therefore ordered the employer to pay the employee compensation.

The above case law suggests that employers are allowed to take strong action against employees who were not entirely honest during the employment selection process. However, this principle only applies where the employer can prove that the employee had dishonestly hidden facts relevant to the inherent requirements of the job. Such proof must be brought to a disciplinary hearing chaired by an impartial chairperson who is fully competent to gather and process the evidence and arrive at a finding that will stand up in court.

Ivan Israelstam is chief executive of Labour Law Management Consulting.

He can be contacted on 011-888-7944 or labourlaw@absamail.co.za Visit: www.labourlawadvise.co.za

'Teachers should be trained for free' IOL News Dec 4, 2008

Teachers should be trained for free in order to try to close SA's current 20 000-plus

teacher shortfall, the SA Council of Educators said on Thursday.

"Considering the low levels of intake at teacher-training facilities and the high costs

of training... the Council calls for free teacher training for all prospective teachers,

with immediate effect," said SACE CEO Rej Brijraj on Thursday.

Current bursary arrangements were having a minimal impact on the shortage and

SACE believed urgent steps needed to be taken to secure the training of at least

20 000 teachers a year over at least the next four years.

Brijraj said if current class sizes, which averaged 30 students per class, were taken

into account, the shortfall rose to 57 000.

Full bursaries covering the cost of tuition, boarding and out of pocket expenses

should be given.

The council also felt there should be training facilities available to train teachers in

the geographical areas and teaching fields they were needed.

"Whilst many teachers are unemployed, they remain unsuitable for the specific

needs of schools where shortages occur," said Brijraj.

"In particular Council points to the dire shortage in Foundation phase and Home

language educators."

The SACE also called on the department of education to devise a strategy to stop

the high rate of teacher resignations and instead retain and affirm the teachers.

The council also called on teachers to protect and deepen the country's democracy

through their work.

"While teachers are professional workers they remain intellectual activists."

Brijraj said teachers should mobilise communities to register and vote in the next

elections as well as to volunteer as agents for voter education or as electoral

officers.

Teachers should educate their students and communities about democracy, the

constitution and human rights.

"SACE requests teachers... to engage in political party work in a responsible

manner and outside of school hours."

The council also said preparations were being finalised for the mid-2009 pilot

launch of a system which would record and guide teachers' ongoing professional

development.

Brijraj said teachers would not be placed under any compulsion and should look

forward to a system designed for their own benefit.

IOL: 'Teachers should be trained for free' Page 1 of 2

http://www.iol.co.za/general/news/newsprint.php?art_id=nw20081204165824720C518870... 12/5/2008

When it came to confusion regarding Outcome Based Education and the national

curriculum, employers should explain the system in a "user friendly way" to

students, teachers and parents. - Sapa

Published on the Web by IOL on 2008-12-04 16:58:24

faith but is not liable for any loss or damage caused by reliance on the information

it contains.

---oOo---

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

Winston Churchill

WE NEED MORE TEACHERS FOR OUR CHILDREN - DA

January 10 2008 at 01:14AM from www.iolnews.co.za

Shortges of teachers, textbooks and belated efforts to enrol children were some of the problems plaguing public schools on the first day of term on Wednesday, the Democratic Alliance said.

At Katlehong Secondary School, Gauteng's worst performing school with a 16-percent matric pass rate in 2007, children were in class by 8.30am, said DA spokesperson James Lorimer.

"It's clear that the shortage of classrooms and teachers is dire. One teacher told us that there are between 60 and 70 children to one class.

"They've only got 50 percent of books for matrics. They only arrived yesterday and they still have to be stamped. The [Gauteng education] MEC [Angie Motshekga] said that teaching won't be affected, but I doubt that," said Lorimer.

However, Gauteng education department spokesperson Panyaza Lesufi said there had been "no major glitches".

"The only problem, which is quite disturbing, is that parents are presenting themselves with their children at schools for the first time. It seems to be a general pattern across our district."

Despite this, he said the "system will hold" and efforts would be made to accommodate them.

A full report on the situation in the province would be available later in the week.

Kathy Callaghan from school governing body association, the Governors' Alliance, said she had been told of queues outside some schools countrywide where parents had had their children's' enrolment applications declined.

Despite this parents arrived with their children in full school uniform, in the hopes of having them accepted.

"It seems to be particularly at schools that have done well."

Spokesperson for the Soweto School Governing Association, Marks Ramasike, said the availability of textbooks would likely pose a problem.

"We anticipate administrative issues, such as textbooks, and it's going to be worse with Thami Mali being suspended."

Mali, the Gauteng education department's chief director of districts, was suspended following allegations of misconduct, including alleged nepotism, in December last year.

In one primary school children had been asked to clean the classroom before teaching could start, Ramasike said.

On Wednesday morning, Ramasike was helping a parent who had been told by a school to go back and certify their child's birth certificate, despite having the original. The child was eventually allowed to go to class.

Staff at Khulani Primary School in Emdeni, Soweto, discovered that it had been burgled during the holidays and office equipment, including computers containing all school records stolen. No back-up files had been made.

Ramasike said many children were not in class because there were no buses to take them to school. The majority of them came from Slovo Park, about 10km away.

The president of the teachers' union Naptosa, Dave Balt, said that generally preparations had "gone fairly smoothly".

"We're concerned about teacher shortages, particularly having qualified teachers standing in front of classrooms. We are going to closely monitor the issuing of textbooks and stationary.

"We know that there are a number of schools under enormous pressure - particularly on the East Rand, Ekurhuleni and south of Johannesburg."

The ANC Youth League visited schools in Alexandra on Wednesday.

"We were quite impressed," said spokesperson Zizi Kodwa.

"At almost 90 percent of schools we went to teachers were present. There were no reports of teachers missing or absconding, which is quite encouraging."

There had been some delays delivering textbooks but they were expected to be delivered by the end of the week.

"Clearly there will be 100-percent functioning starting Monday."

Kodwa said there had been only a few cases of parents arriving at schools and wanting to register their children. These were "expected exceptions".

According to DA Member of the Gauteng Legislature, David Quail, 199 more schools were needed in Gauteng. A total of 2391 teachers a year were needed between 2007 and 2011 in the province, he said.

He said Gauteng was seeing in-migration of between 60 000 and 80 000 children every year, requiring between 60 to 80 new schools.

According to Quail, Gauteng was getting a 16.5 percent share of the National Treasury's education budget, while the province had 21 percent of the country's population. - Sapa

Smoking deadlier than Aids in 2015

	Melanie Peters June 09 2007 at 12:17PM ( IOL NEWS www.iol.co.za)

Deaths caused by tobacco could kill 50 percent more people than HIV and Aids by 2015 - and also be responsible for 10 percent of all deaths worldwide.

This shocking forecast was made in the World Health Organisation's recently released World Health Statistics 2007 report, which warned that the daily smoking of tobacco is most prevalent among the lowest-income households in developing economies - the poorest of the poor.

"The combination of a higher prevalence of tobacco use and more limited access to health resources results in severe health inequalities and is likely to perpetuate the vicious circle of illness and poverty," the report warns.

The report is the most complete set of health statistics for the WHO's 193 member states yet compiled and reveals, among others shocking statistics, the projected patterns of major causes of death for 2030.

The report said that by 2015, Aids would kill 4,3 million people worldwide a year, while tobacco would be responsible for 6,4 million deaths.

And in South Africa health experts have warned that the problem is further compounded by the fact that smokers may be at greater risk of HIV infection than non-smokers, while quitting smoking may increase the effectiveness of HIV and Aids prevention programmes.

Smokers are 60 percent to 250 percent more likely to acquire an HIV infection than non-smokers, ac-cording to a review published in the scientific journal, Sexually Transmitted Infections.

The National Council Against Smoking says the ABC message for preventing HIV and Aids should be changed to ABCD - "Abstain, Be faithful, Use condoms", with "Don't smoke" being added.

Cigarette smoking is known to weaken the immune system and, as a result, smokers were more prone to infections, including pneumonia, TB and sexually transmitted infections.

Dr Yussuf Saloojee, executive director of the council, warned that "evidence showed that smokers were at higher risk of contracting HIV because their immune systems were compromised".

"Smoking and Aids are two huge preventable epidemics and by reducing cigarette smoking, the indications are we can also help reduce the spread of HIV. It's a double-win situation."

The National Department of Health says tobacco products kill about 25 000 people a year in South Africa.

Latest available statistics show that 31 percent of men and 8 percent of women smoke in South Africa.

The Northern Cape is the highest, with 48,8 percent of men and 31,16 percent of women smoking, followed by the Western Cape with 43,75 percent men and 27,23 percent women who smoke.

An estimated 12 percent of South Africa's 47 million people are infected with HIV and 1 000 die each day from Aids-related diseases.

World Health Statistics 2007 says the four leading causes of death globally in 2030 are projected to be ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), HIV and Aids and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The total number of deaths attributed to tobacco is projected to rise from 6,4 million in 2015 to 8,3 million in 2030.

This article was originally published on page 13 of Cape Argus on June 09, 2007

Transplants save lives

The Organ Donor Foundation is a non-profit charity, which aims to address the critical shortage of organ and tissue donors in South Africa. Currently over 5,000 people are awaiting transplants. Tragically fewer than 500 will this year receive an organ transplant due to this critical shortage. In addition, there are nearly 3,000 people awaiting cornea transplants to restore their sight. To find out more about becoming an organ donor, log onto the website www.odf.org.za or call the Organ Donor Foundation Toll Free on 0800 22 66 11. If your school would like a speaker on the subject, contact mktpr@organdonor.org.za

The Readucate Trust is a non-profit (section 18a) literacy and educational NGO. Its work is based on over seventy years' experience teaching children and adults a multi-dimensional approach to language/communication/reading/life skills. The Trust teaches HOW to teach this unique approach through its Teacher Development and Prisoner Rehabilitation Courses. Visit their websites at www.teachingtoread.com and www.readucate.org or email: ostro@mweb.co.za

Funded by the Shuttleworth Foundation, Teachers Dream is an innovative web-based funding channel dedicated to the improvement of education in South Africa. The aim is to assist educators delivering outcomes-based education by connecting them to the generosity of the South African public and corporate sectors. Teachers Dream can be found at www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za. Submit your proposal! For further information call (021) 794-2239.

NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU'LL NEED AN EASY TO MAKE "Play Dough Recipe "

By: Sheri Leminski, Practical Teacher

Materials:

- 4 cups of flour

- 4 cups of water

- 1/2 cup of cream of tartar

- 4 tablespoons of cooking oil

Mix all materials in a saucepan. Cook and stir on low heat until play dough is no longer sticky. Allow it to cool. You can store it in zip lock bags or any air tight container.

When is non-disclosure grounds for dismissal? IOL News
01 February 2006 at 04h30

False CVs are being submitted to employers daily. The modus operandi is simple; embellish the CV to maximise your employment prospects.

In Cristina Helena Palmeirim Borges v Ian Lloyd Selldirect Marketing [CCMA Arbitration case No E10104-02], it was held that "An employee who misrepresents her working background and thereby leads an employer to conclude an employment contract with her is doing no more than drafting her own dismissal warrant, even before her appointment".

In this case, the applicant had been dismissed for omitting to disclose in her CV to the respondent that she had been dismissed by her previous employer in connection with allegations of fraud.

As the commissioner pointed out in the arbitration award, "it is highly probable that given the nature of the employment she applied for, she knew that if she disclosed this, she could not be employed."

The same award held that "The employee's conduct gives her an

advantage and jeopardises the chances of other job applicants who could have been legitimately appointed into the position".

Employees render themselves guilty of gross dishonesty when submitting a false CV to a potential employer, and this will undermine the trust relationship with the employer.

In Mukhtar Mohammed Sheik v department of housing and water affairs [NP11899] the applicant not only dramatically inflated his matric symbols, but also stated that he acquired a matric exemption when he did not.

He claimed to have attended Sultan Technikon for two years "following a course in internal auditing" when he had in fact only been registered at the technikon for four months during which time he did not write any examinations.

The dismissal was held to have been substantively fair.

Not all omissions from CVs are material, however, and insofar as they are not, they do not constitute an act of misconduct or a ground for dismissal.

In Vimla Laltoparsat v Webber Wenzel Bowens [CCMA case no GA37437-02] the respondent dismissed the applicant for failing to disclose that after resigning from her previous employer, she had signed a settlement agreement.

The commissioner took a dim view of the respondent's conduct and held that "even if they were to be considered to be operative misrepresentations, the non-disclosures relied upon do not in my view fulfil the requirements of materiality, nor would knowledge thereof have prevented or dissuaded a reasonable and fair-minded employer from concluding a contract of employment with the applicant".

The dismissal was held to have been unfair.

The existence of a misrepresentation does not constitute dishonesty or grounds for dismissal; the nature of the misrepresentation or omission must first be examined to determine whether or not it is material.

Book for a "Conducting disciplinary hearings competently" workshop (February 23) by phoning 011-476-1620.

JOHANNESBURG

Govt pushes mother tongue teaching (from IOL News)

Tue, 24 Jan 2006

Despite a well-managed start to the 2006 school year, problems remained in the primary school sector, Education Minister Naledi Pandor said on Monday.

"The gross enrolment rate is excellent, but reading and writing skills are not," she said at a ceremony to rename Ga-Rankuwa's Agisanang Primary School the Tim Modise Primary School.

She said it was "critically important" for children to learn in their mother language.

"Children who learn in their mother tongue in their early years of schooling become more competent in the basic skills of reading, writing and number work."

In order to teach in the mother tongue, teachers needed resources like book collections or access to the internet.

She said schools needed to cultivate a closer relationship with their past pupils, which had not been the case under apartheid.

"Enough time has elapsed for past pupils to seek to improve the schools that shaped their future prospects and values."

The school was renamed after radio talk show host Tim Modise whose foundation had adopted it.

Sapa

Laughter is the best medicine - no joke (From IOL News)

January 12 2006 at 11:21AM

By Shingo Ito

Osaka, Japan - It's been said laughter is the best medicine, but no one has yet proven it. Now a Japanese scientist is unlocking the secrets of the funny bone, which he believes can cheer up people's genes.

Geneticist Kazuo Murakami has teamed up on the study with an unlikely research partner: stand-up comedians, who he hopes - no joke - can turn their one-liners into efficient, low-cost medical treatment.

Genes are usually regarded as immutable, but in reality more than 90 percent of them are dormant or less active in producing protein, so some types of stimulation can wake them up.

Murakami's tentative theory is that laughter is one such stimulant, which can trigger energy inside a person's DNA potentially helping cure disease.

"If we prove people can switch genes on and off by an emotion like laughter, it may be the finding of the century which should be worth the Nobel Prize or even go beyond that," said Murakami, 70, director of Japan's Foundation for Advancement of International Science.

Three years ago, Murakami and Yoshimoto Kogyo, a leading entertainment company, jointly carried out their first experiment to let diabetics laugh at a comedy show performed by the firm's top stand-up comedians after listening to a monotonous college lecture.

The two-day experiment showed that their blood glucose levels - a key gauge for development of diabetes - became lower after they laughed compared with after listening to the yawning lecture.

His latest experiment with the entertainment firm spotted at least 23 genes that can be activated. Eighteen of them are designed to work for immune response, signal transduction and cell cycle, while functions of the remaining five others are still unknown.

The findings, which Murakami says are the first of their kind, are scheduled to be published in January by Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, a US academic journal.

"A laughing therapy has no side-effect, meaning it is an epoch-making treatment for clinical medicine," he said. "One day it won't be a joke to see patients receive a prescription for a comedy video at a pharmacy for medical treatment."

Having a good laugh has long been thought of as therapeutic. Laughter has been taught by yoga masters in India, home to a growing number of "laughing clubs" whose members get together just to enjoy a chuckle.

Expectations from Murakami's research are particularly high in Japan, where medicare costs are increasing year after year as the country rapidly ages.

Even with the research still in its early stages, a Japanese medical publisher, under the editorial guidance of Murakami's research team, began selling DVDs last year instructing patients with diabetes on how to laugh.

The ministry of economy, trade and industry believes that laughter therapy could be put to good use in a project as demand grows for preventive medical care.

"If the relation between laughter and health is proved scientifically, it may have a big impact on ways to improve health," said Hikaru Horiguchi, an official of the ministry.

"We also hope that a new type of industry will be created by linking the two different fields - laughter and medical treatment," Horiguchi said.

With the ministry's financial support, Osaka Sangyo University in western Japan formed a joint venture with researchers, firms and doctors in 2004 to provide elderly people with a complete medical care program combining physical training and laughter therapy.

"It was the nation's first attempt to launch a medicare business with laughter in collaboration with the government, industry and academe," said Mitsutoshi Nishikawa, a university official in charge of the "Daito Dynamic Project" based in Daito city in Osaka.

Nishikawa said Osaka was an ideal location to launch the project as the city is famous for its humour culture, with residents here said to be less hesitant to laugh in public than more taciturn Tokyo.

"We believe there is a big business chance here," Nishikawa said.

"With the project, we can expect a reduction in medicare and nursing costs," he said. "Moreover, it is important for elderly people to live long with good health."

In the program, participants receive a medical check-up and gymnastic exercises while enjoying a comedy show performed by professional comedians. It also offers them cooking classes on making healthy foods.

"I used to laugh a lot when I was young, but I realised that I had not laughed much since getting older," said Kiyomi Yamanaka, a 61-year-old housewife participating in the program.

"But after attending the event, my blood flow has become smooth and I can now get down on my knees, which I couldn't do before."

According to project officials, the 92 participants polled said their combined annual medicare costs fell about 30 percent to ¥2,26-million (about R120 000) after they joined the program.

Nishikawa said: "In the future, we want to make medical treatment something not gloomy but fun. That's our goal." - Sapa-AFP

---oOo---

DO YOU SUFFER FROM PARASKEVIDEKATRIAPHOBI? By Rivonia Naidu and Linda Mbongwa

January 13, 2006 at 07:01AM IOL News

Do you know what paraskevidekatriaphobia is? The tongue-twister term is the modern phrase used to describe the fear of Friday the 13th that some superstitious people have.

So what's the meaning behind Friday the 13th and why so many people still believe it means bad luck.

Starting with the basics, if one looks back in recent history it is clear that the number 13 was considered unlucky by the superstitious.

I love being scared. I get a high from being scared and running

Many old buildings do not have the number 13 and skip from 12 to 12A or 14. In certain towns and suburbs that have old areas, 13 is not a street number and in some planes, there is no seat 13.

So why do superstitions increase when the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday? Research shows there are many explanations as to why the phobia exists. Over time, the day has become infamous for being unlucky and the reasons for this range from religious beliefs to weird and wacky.

In pre-Christian cultures, Friday was deemed the day of worship and luck. In Northern Europe it was considered a good day to get married because the day was traditionally associated with love and fertility. The goddess Freya, who was worshipped on Fridays, was also linked to Venus, the goddess of love.

However, with Christianity, Freya was no longer celebrated and was referred to in post-pagan folklore as a witch, thereby associating Friday with evil. There are also tales of important events on the Christian calendar that have occurred on a Friday, such as the crucifixion of Jesus Christ; Eve tempting Adam with the apple in the Garden of Eden; the confusion at the Tower of Babel and the beginning of the great flood.

There is also the wacky story of Friday the 13th beginning when the final Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Jacques Demolay, was arrested on October 13 1307. (Interestingly, the second Friday 13th this year falls on October 13). Here’s what our local celebrities had to say about “freaky” Friday the 13th:

Lebo “Cheeseboy” Mokoena, Orlando Pirates player, played it cool: “I’ve heard people talk about it. It’s not something that I think about. I go out whenever I feel like it; I don’t have anything to fear on this day. We’re in Egypt and nothing has happened, so I think it’s just a superstition.”

Singer Danny K is not superstitious either. “Friday has always been a good day for me – it’s the beginning of a weekend. Mandoza and I even recorded a song titled Friday. The lyrics say that I wish it was a Friday every day of the week. I think people shouldn’t let this day freak them out,” said Danny.

Hlubi Mboya, who plays Nandipha in Isidingo, however, describes herself as being very superstitious. “I love being scared. I get a high from being scared and running; give me a horror movie every day! I grew up in the States, and I believed in Halloween. “I’m very much aware of the gloom on this day: I don’t walk under a ladder and I never walk in front of a black cat. I would go to work but I’m extra cautious,” said Mboya.

This article was originally published on page 10 of The Star on January 13, 200

---oOo---

4 May 2009

<div style="text-align:center"><a href="http://www.webcounter.com"><img border="0" src="http://www.webcounter.com/49ff0762ccb63/counter.png"/></a><br /><a href="http://www.webcounter.com">site counter</a></div>

---oOo---