Gerry Loughran
14 October 2007
column
Nairobi — The cynics say it's just a clever way to get a bigger house but, if what Allison Marshall claims happened in her home in Carlisle is actually true, then you can hardly blame her for taking her children and fleeing into the night.
Allison, aged 27, moved into the council house in Mardale Road four years ago and everything was fine until August 30 when a series of inexplicable events began as she relaxed with her boyfriend Liam Barnard, 21, and two friends.
Dog's bone
At 2 am, a hair brush and a dog's bone flew violently across the living room; at 3 am a tumbler hurtled from a display cabinet and hit Allison in the back; half an hour later, a glass leaped upwards and hit a ceiling fan with such force it dented it; at 4 am another glass rocketed from a shelf and chipped a wall above a door.
When the TV cameras arrived last week, Allison pointed out the bent fan and a hole in the plaster.
Allison sought the help of a clairvoyant who visited the house and claimed to see the image of a child in a dressing gown.
There were sudden drops in temperature and witnesses said they saw the image of a skull in a glass display cabinet. Disturbing noises included a child sobbing.
"I was petrified," Allison said. "I did not know what was happening. I took my four kids up to my mum's house at 4 am and we all slept there."
Cleansing
A vicar was asked to perform a cleansing ceremony in the house but the phenomena continued.
Allison's mother, Lesley Whitewick, 46, who lives just down the road, said: "We have been going back to the house during the day and finding that objects have been moved and doors which were opened are closed.
"I'd like Allison to go back to the house but she is too frightened to go at night. We have to put it down to a poltergeist, there is no other explanation."
Allison said: "I don't really want to leave but if they cannot get this thing out of my house, I will have to move."
The Carlisle Housing Association said: "We appreciate her distress and we take all requests for a tenant transfer seriously."
Trauma
There are numerous instances of what is described as "the poltergeist effect," which often occurs around teenagers - Allison's children are aged three, four, seven and eight. Some researchers believe it is a form of psychokinesis generated by a living human mind, an outward manifestation of psychological trauma.
Scientists acknowledge many historical claims of unexplained bumping, knocking and flying objects but they reject all suggestions the phenomena are caused by restless dead souls.
***
A few weeks ago, I disparaged what I considered to be a loony scheme by the government to give £200 (Sh26,750) to expectant mothers to encourage them to eat good, healthy food for the sake of their baby.
Now I discover that the billionaire Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, is spending millions of dollars from his personal fortune on a far more ambitious scheme to encourage poor parents to bring up their children properly. His plan was in turn inspired by the Mexican government's Opportunidades programme, which covers almost 25 per cent of the population.
In New York, a family whose earnings do not exceed 30 per cent above the poverty level can qualify for a range of Bloomberg benefits. Take a child for an annual medical and receive $200 (Sh13,320); six-month dental checkups bring in $100 (Sh6,660); school attendance of 95 per cent earns $50 (Sh3,330) and if a mum goes to discuss her child's school performance with the teachers, she gets $25 (Sh1,665); on graduating from high school, $400 (Sh26,640) is split between the child and the parent.
A family could receive up to $5,000 (Sh333,000) a year from Bloomberg, which would approximate to the amount they could expect from welfare benefits, though this could never of itself support a family.
Pragmatic
The scheme has not escaped criticism, mostly denunciations that parents should be bribed to carry out their moral duty.
The pragmatic Bloomberg responds: "If the only way you can get people to do what you want them to do is by paying them, is that better or worse than not having them do it at all?"
And, after all, he's footing the bill.
***
In the distant past (well, the late 1970s) I regularly watched a glittering array of internationally famous, though fading, football stars - the New York Cosmos team at Giants Stadium in Rutherford, New Jersey.
Well known to the thousands of fans who took the afternoon bus from New York City were the likes of Pele, Giorgio Chinaglia, Carlos Alberto and Franz Beckenbauer.
Entirely unknown was a stocky, powerful midfielder whose name intrigued me, Jomo Sono, a South African.
Stocky
As Jomo's skills took him to the top of the game, I discovered that yes, indeed, there was a Kenya connection: Matsilala Ephraim Sono, born in Soweto in 1955, adopted the name of Jomo in admiration for the Kenyan President's leadership qualities.
Over the years, Sono became an African football hero. In 1982, he bought the Highlands Park football club in Johannesburg and named its team the Jomo Cosmos.
He also founded the Kaizer Chiefs, probably the country's most famous side, and was coach of the national XI.
Less well-known was Sono's difficult childhood. His father was killed in a car crash, his mother deserted him and he was brought up by his grandparents.
He sold peanuts and apples outside football grounds.
A fringe hanger-on with the Orlando Pirates, he was asked as a teenager one day to substitute for a player who failed to turn up. His dribbling skills dazzled the coach and his career was on its way.
Now I read that his son, Bomuza Sono, a midfielder with the Jomo Cosmos, has been named in the national squad for a friendly against Italy on October 17. So the Sono dynasty flourishes!
***
Two more of those aggravating brain-teasers.
A. In a race, you overtake the second person. What position are you?
B. Add these numbers: 1,000 plus 40 plus 1,000 plus 30 plus 1,000 plus 20 plus 1,000 plus 10.
Answers:
A. Did you say you take first position? Wrong, you are second.
B. My brain gives me an answer of 5,000. The calculator says 4,100.
***
A man checked into a hotel in Mombasa and sent an email to his wife but somehow typed in the wrong address. Meanwhile in London a widow arrived home from her husband's funeral and checked her computer for condolence messages. She promptly fainted.
On the screen was a message which said: "To my darling wife. I know you are surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and I decided to let you know that I just checked in and everything is being prepared for your arrival tomorrow. PS: It is damn hot down here."
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