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    anythingsweetieJE Reich
    4/17/16 4:00pm

    For those who don’t know the woman on the left up there is Sandi Toksvig, national sweetheart and sorely missed long time host of The News Quiz on BBC Radio 4. I’m so pleased. She is so, so brilliant.

    This has been the most British post I’m ever likely to make.

    Dust bin. Pavement. Cup of tea?

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      The Noble Renardanythingsweetie
      4/17/16 4:10pm

      I too miss her as the host of The News Quiz (I listen to the podcast version of it), but I was very excited to know she's going to be taking over for Stephen Fry as host of QI!

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      mnb6anythingsweetie
      4/17/16 4:17pm

      'Dustbin' is one word. ;)

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    Adrastra predicts "Low Key" title for Taylor's new albumJE Reich
    4/17/16 3:36pm

    These women are awesome. I don’t understand how law enforcement manages to bungle stalking cases so badly, especially since our media and entertainment industries love to show just how terrible and frightening being a victim of stalking is.

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      CosmographiaAdrastra predicts "Low Key" title for Taylor's new album
      4/17/16 4:24pm

      The media may show how scary stalking is, but at least in my case I feel like that made police/others I reported my situation to dismiss the seriousness of it.

      My stalker started out repeatedly visiting the library where I worked, but he came across as an awkward guy with a crush, not a scary evil stalker. Guess who had to still go out there and answer all his questions.

      When he escalated to waiting outside each building after my college classes, I was told he was just a romantic because he always brought flowers, and anyway security couldn’t do anything because he was a student too, he had a right to be on campus and it wasn’t like he was threatening me or had gotten violent.

      I went to the police when he started waiting outside my apartment. They asked me how long it was since we broke up (we never dated), whether I’d tried “letting him down gently” (yes, and being blunt, and getting a guy friend to warn him off) and basically made it very clear they too saw him as a harmless guy with puppy love.

      I’m incredibly lucky in that he never did become violent with me, because I have no doubt my experience with the police would have been even worse, not better.

      I want to hope that a list like this could help prevent serious crimes by stalkers, but I strongly suspect it’ll be the same pattern. When you’re in a hospital or a morgue is when your stalker gets taken seriously.

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      BlessedAreTheHedas. Our fight is not over.Adrastra predicts "Low Key" title for Taylor's new album
      4/17/16 4:43pm

      Because they think women are irrational, given to hysteria, and unreliable. Its a profession that draws hardcore sexists to it, and that’s the truth. I grew up around law enforcement, and while my father was not this kind of cop, there are so, so many who are.

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    bellewether8JE Reich
    4/17/16 3:41pm

    Taking stalking seriously and addressing it better are critically important, but: 1) the sex offender registries this is based on have caused problems and it is totally unclear whether they actually prevent sexual abuse, 2) as the story in the article demonstrates, isn’t the issue that police don’t care much or know much about the unique and cumulative harassment that is stalking, NOT that it’s unclear or unrecorded who is doing it? Most people know who their stalkers are but can’t get the system to help them stop it - it’s unclear to me how a registry could help that problem. I guess this might start a larger conversation...someone help me if I’m missing some reason this would be effective.

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      deerlady83bellewether8
      4/17/16 3:48pm

      It's not just a registry. They also added treatment options for the stalkers, training for police officers, and services for victims. It part of a bundle that the group wants to see changed.

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      bellewether8deerlady83
      4/17/16 4:56pm

      I know, and those things I support. But coverage seems to hitting the registry real hard and I just can't figure out why.

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    ClairvoyantJE Reich
    4/17/16 4:18pm

    If Lily Allen, with all her fame, money and connections can’t get the police to take her case seriously then what hope is there for anyone else? I just read about her story today and it’s terrifying. The guys stalked her for years and even broke into her house and threatened her.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertain...

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      Dr. OpossumJE Reich
      4/17/16 4:38pm

      Somewhat off-topic, but I remember when I lived in Scotland ten years ago being amazed to see a campaign to discourage drunk, rowdy injured guys from beating up nurses in the hospital. It struck me as pretty sad that this message (don’t hit the nurse who is trying to help you!) needed to be spread.

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        deerlady83Dr. Opossum
        4/17/16 5:04pm

        Seriously? That needed to be a campaign to not hurt your nurse?

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        Charmed221 new queen of LondonDr. Opossum
        4/17/16 5:06pm

        I know the campaign you talking about and the campaign was not just aimed at drunk guys and it was about all nhs staff and what you need to do if you witness violence happening against anyone.

        A message like that needs to be spread everywhere because in US alone over 80% of nurses have faced violence and it is increasing.

        http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/47... (here is campaign brief and aimed at mainly in Scotland and no it is not about telling drunk guys not to hit their nurses).

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      simon-on-the-river3JE Reich
      4/17/16 5:41pm

      There is a National Stalking Awareness Week running in the UK next week, with input from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and similar organisations. Tomorrow (April 18) is Stalking Awareness Day.

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        Marillenbaumsimon-on-the-river3
        4/17/16 8:32pm

        Thanks for the heads-up!

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      zap rowsdowerJE Reich
      4/17/16 11:23pm

      There is also Paladin who does advocacy for victims of stalking. The CEO, Laura Richards, is a bad ass.

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        zap rowsdowerJE Reich
        4/17/16 11:26pm

        Also, check the tags on this? It has nothing to do with the Afrika Bombaataa alleged abuse.

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          House Milkshaker of Daftbollockszap rowsdower
          4/18/16 12:11pm

          I wondered about that. And what the hell it means.

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