When It Rains, It Pours A Case Drenched in Disorder
Some people love the rain. After all, there’s something magical about thunder rolling through the clouds as lightning illuminates a multitude of raindrops. Yet, if the storm is too strong — or even dangerous to be in — people might not enjoy it at all. And that certainly appears to have been the case in 1996 when an Israeli woman in Haifa, Israel, sued a television station because of their incorrect weather report. The weather forecaster, Danny Rup, predicted that the day would be beautiful and sunny, but the weather had a mind of its own and ended up being rainy, dark, and gloomy. Because the woman relied upon the accuracy of the report, she left her home without a raincoat or an umbrella and got caught in the pouring rain. As the old wives’ tale goes, if you get caught in the rain, you’ll catch a cold. Well, the woman claimed that after being exposed to inclement weather, she caught the flu and subsequently was out of work for four days, had to visit the doctor, and spent $38 on medicine. Due to such a daunting experience, she also said that she suffered additional stress from the entire situation. The woman ended up taking Channel 2 news station to a small claims court where she sought financial compensation to cover her sickness and suffering — as well as an apology from the
forecaster who wrongly predicted the weather. The woman stated that weather forecasts are legally binding.
Many of us would see this as a frivolous lawsuit, but the TV station settled out of court and the woman received $1,000 for her pain and suffering and an apology from Danny Rup. Despite this case, most people take weather predictions from television and radio forecasters with a bit of skepticism thinking that forecasts are just a well-educated guess based on available resources — and it can change on a whim. It’s just the nature of it!
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cases, a victim’s stalker is someone they know or were once in an intimate relationship with. While it’s always important to never engage with your stalker, you can take certain steps to protect your safety and well-being.
To keep yourself safe, what can be done? Of course, if you are ever in immediate danger or if someone has made a credible threat, you should call the police right away. Be sure to carry a charged cellphone with you at all times for this reason. If someone is following you, seek out the nearest safe place to go, whether it be a police station, fire station, public place, or a friend’s house. Always trust your instincts: If you feel like something is wrong, it likely is. If you feel like someone may be taking an unnatural interest in you, begin varying your routines and routes a bit. Be careful when posting on social media; don’t give out information about where you live, work, or enjoy hanging out. Lastly, try to avoid going places alone. Exercise with a friend if you can and walk to your car with a coworker after work. Stalking is a serious problem and many people assume that ignoring the behavior will take care of the issue. In most cases, that doesn’t happen. When people stalk other people, they violate boundaries in order to make
First and foremost, you must know the signs and tactics of stalking, which include:
• Receiving unwanted emails, phone calls, text messages, voicemails, social media direct messages, or instant messages
• Appearing uninvited at places such as the victim’s home, school, or place of work
• Leaving strange or potentially threatening items for the victim to find
• Watching, following, or tracking a victim
• Sneaking into the victim’s home or car and doing things to scare the victim or let them know the perpetrator had been there
their victims feel unsafe. If you ever fall victim to stalking, it’s paramount that you take the necessary steps to keep yourself safe as well as involve law enforcement.
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