#no cp subs allowed

[beardedmrbean]

(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a bid by child pornography victims to overcome a legal shield for internet companies in a case involving a lawsuit accusing Reddit Inc of violating federal law by failing to rid the discussion website of this illegal content.

The justices turned away the appeal of a lower court's decision to dismiss the proposed class action lawsuit on the grounds that Reddit was shielded by a U.S. statute called Section 230, which safeguards internet companies from lawsuits for content posted by users but has an exception for claims involving child sex trafficking.

The Supreme Court on May 19 sidestepped an opportunity to narrow the scope of Section 230 immunity in a separate case.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 protects "interactive computer services" by ensuring they cannot be treated as the "publisher or speaker" of information provided by users. The Reddit case explored the scope of a 2018 amendment to Section 230 called the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA), which allows lawsuits against internet companies if the underlying claim involves child sex trafficking.

Reddit allows users to post content that is moderated by other users in forums called subreddits. The case centers on sexually explicit images and videos of children posted to such forums by users. The plaintiffs - the parents of minors and a former minor who were the subjects of the images - sued Reddit in 2021 in federal court in California, seeking monetary damages.

The plaintiffs accused Reddit of doing too little to remove or prevent child pornography and of financially benefiting from the illegal posts through advertising in violation of a federal child sex trafficking law.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2022 concluded that in order for the exception under FOSTA to apply, plaintiffs must show that an internet company "knowingly benefited" from the sex trafficking through its own conduct.

Instead, the 9th Circuit concluded, the allegations "suggest only that Reddit 'turned a blind eye' to the unlawful content posted on its platform, not that it actively participated in sex trafficking."

Reddit said in court papers that it works hard to find and prevent the sharing of child sexual exploitation materials on its platform, giving all users the ability to flag posts and using dedicated teams to remove illegal content.

The Supreme Court on May 19 declined to rule on a bid to weaken Section 230 in a case seeking to hold Google LLC liable under a federal anti-terrorism law for allegedly recommending content by the Islamic State militant group to users of its YouTube video-sharing service. Google and YouTube are part of Alphabet Inc.

Calls have come from across the ideological and political spectrum - including Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump - for a rethink of Section 230 to ensure that companies can be held accountable for content on their platforms.

"Child pornography is the root cause of much of the sex trafficking that occurs in the world today, and it is primarily traded on the internet, through websites that claim immunity" under Section 230, the plaintiffs said in their appeal to the Supreme Court.

Allowing the 9th Circuit's decision to stand, they added, "would immunize a huge class of violators who play a role in the victimization of children."

[missdommee]

Your search for the Perfect Dominatrix Mistress is over.

Allow Me to introduce Myself: My name is Mommy Flo and I am a traditional and well qualified Professional Domme. Former account got busted @15k due to a lot of subs who began messages with dick pics idk if yall think it’s hot but really it’s cranky and irritating….

Note that if you send me dick pics I’m blocking you instantly!! And I’m reporting you to tumblr….

I am a true Mistress in heart and I do My Job for the Pleasure but with Respect for the Art itself, that doesn't means I will be giving out freebies or tasks for free! You might be afraid of My sadistic regime, but be aware, there is also a caring and loving side of Me. I can soothe the pain as well as cause it. With the wide range of toys and many fetishes to play with, I will be The One to fulfill your dreams and biggest fantasies.

As a Professional Domme, I am focused on providing services with the highest level of customer satisfaction and I will do My best to meet clients expectations. With a variety of offerings to choose from, I'm sure there's something for everyone, whatever your level of experience. However I work only with submissive.

I do not offer sexual services or nudity of any kind and on any suggestion I will stop the session and you will be blacklisted. At the moment I am running my sessions in a well equipped attic "Dungeon" set up in a domestic environment.

Although there are some subs who only prefer online dominations due to some shortcomings or another and I totally understand this which means something would definitely be worked out as long as you’re willin to submit…..

My kinks are edging, pegging, sissification, anal, JOl, CBT, face sitting, spanking, electrics, cuckhold, CP, ball busting, tease & denial, role play, chastity, feet, caging, pet-play, hypnotism, gangbang, humiliation, whipping, diapers, and a lot it just depends on whoever I’m workin with I can remove some kinks if they are limits to you and work with your kinks because experience they say is the best teacher. 😌

(Enjoy my blog! 😌❤️)!

[theinconvenientlifestyle]

Analysis: CPS prosecuted at least 27 people – and as many as 38 – running post offices during Horizon scandal – it strains credibility to claim he knew nothing

Labour has claimed that none of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutions of innocent sub-postmasters went ‘to [Keir Starmer’s] desk. Starmer himself has now told reporters that he knew nothing about any of the cases:

I wasn’t aware of any of them. I think there was a small number within a 20-year window, that’s all I know. I don’t even now – I think the CPS are helping with inquiries – how many of those may or may not have involved Horizon.

There were at least twenty-seven and as many as thirty eight cases.

One such case that definitely happened under Starmer’s tenure as CPS head was the prosecution of Seema Misra, who was jailed for fifteen months in 2010 – on her son’s tenth birthday – for fraud that she never committed. She was pregnant when she was prosecuted and jailed – and her conviction was only quashed in 2021. The prosecution did not disclose to the court that the Post Office knew the Horizon system was faulty and had at least forty examples of the system causing shortfalls at Post Office branches.

When the scandal of serial rapist Jimmy Savile broke and Starmer was attacked for not prosecuting him, Keir Starmer did not personally deny he had been involved in the decision not to prosecute Savile, instead allowing mouthpieces – including Tory MPs – to say he was not aware of it, insisting that we believe that he ran the CPS and was never asked for his view on whether to prosecute the offender who was, at the time, Britain’s highest-profile entertainer.

Starmer boasted of his role in prosecuting former government minister Chris Huhne and promised the US he would ‘do everything’ to secure the extradition of autistic hacker Gary McKinnon – yet supposedly was not consulted by his subordinates about Savile.

he CPS claimed it had destroyed all records relating to the decision not to prosecute Savile. The CPS also claimed that it had destroyed all records relating to prosecution of Seema Misra.

We are asked to believe that Starmer was not involved in the Savile decision, was not involved in or consulted on any CPS Post Office cases – was not even aware of their existence – despite them taking place while he ran the CPS and despite revelations, a year before the Misra case, in the press about the known, widespread issues with the Horizon system causing false ‘shortfalls’ in Post Office branches.

As Labour leader, Starmer has covered up a whistleblower’s allegations of ‘sadistic’ and ‘criminal’ exploitation of vulnerable domestic violence victims by a Labour staffer who was the lover of the MP she was working for. That MP, Khalid Mahmood, did not dispute a victim’s sworn evidence in whistleblower Elaina Cohen’s successful tribunal for wrongful dismissal – and confirmed under oath that Starmer and Labour general secretary David Evans were fully and repeatedly aware of the allegations.

Starmer also sheltered at least two alleged sex pests in his Shadow Cabinet and re-admitted racist and sex harasser MP Neil Coyle back into the parliamentary party, as well as Mike Gapes, the right-wing former MP who defended fellow right-winger Ian McKenzie after McKenzie tweeted about the rape and beheading of Thornberry herself, and former MPs who defended him. He is a creature of the Establishment and sides with it every time.

What the hell was he doing while he was boss of the CPS if he didn’t know about the highest profile cases and wasn’t consulted on the widest miscarriage of justice in British legal history? This site does not believe it is credible.

[spurgie-cousin]

The fundie snark subreddit was open again and they scrubbed everything off related to mother bus :/ I don't think you are even allowed to snark about them anymore, which sucks because there were documented child abuse there

I don't know anything about Mother Bus tbh, except that she and multiple children live in a bus. But if people were sharing the locations of the kids online, I don't blame the mods for taking it down, at the very least that could get people into legal trouble or get the sub permanently banned.

Plus it's just dangerous, I understand if people want to report something they need to know where the kids are at, but imo whoever found out that information should've collected the evidence and shared it with the authorities themselves rather than share it with others. I just don't think it's smart at all to blast the location of children to hundreds of thousands of strangers. Especially since they're in a bus or RV which makes it way easier for someone who wants to be a vigilante or do harm to find them.

Again, I don't know anything about this lady, maybe her abuse and neglect was very blatant, but I also can't help think of families like the Rodrigueses and Collins, who've had CPS called on them so much that I doubt they even pick up the phone anymore. CPS/DCFS is so overloaded that if people abuse the reporting system over claims they have no serious evidence for, it becomes harder over time to get CPS/DCFS to take them seriously. I hope if people are making reports they have very solid evidence, otherwise they could be doing more harm then good.

[kickingitwithkirk]

Winchester's Folly

Summary: When Dean gets into trouble John decides to hide the truth for his family

Word Count: 1143

Warnings: A/B/O, subjugation, pandemic, mentions of nudity, leering, mention of collaring/leashed, rut/heat, physical altercation, murder conviction, parental dominance

*Additional warnings will be added

*Dark! Fic-don't continue if you are disturbed by the subject matter.

*Square filled: @spnabobingo -Rut Suppressant @spnaubingo -Sub!Dean @anyfandomdarkbingo - Voyeurism

A/N: Each part follows in sequence

*Divider by @firefly-graphics

*No Beta-all mistakes are mine

Part I

Five weeks ago 

Dean Winchester had been arrested.

Their dad grew tired of Sam’s constant complaining about finishing up his junior year in one place and had left his sons in this backwater town.

Several more weeks passed and it was obvious their dad wasn’t coming back anytime soon, the little money they had began to run out and when he couldn’t hustle pool anymore, Dean took a job at a local garage. 

It wasn’t long after another problem arose.

Dean ran out of rut suppressants and was stuck in one of the few states that required a prescription. He tried obtaining them through less than-legal channels but began feeling the restlessness simmering underneath his skin; it was too late.

Out of options he made sure his brother had everything required for a few days, went looking for something to sink his knot into, and found himself chatting up a Beta at the only local bar until their irate Alpha came looking for them. 

By night's end, Dean found himself with an IV in one arm and the other handcuffed to a bed in the hospital after a rut-induced fight with their Alpha.

When the local sheriff showed the ER doctor told him the Alpha was DOA and the cause of death was exsanguination from canine perforation of the carotid artery.

Sam was unable to reach their dad, and in a panic called Bobby Singer. They’d been forbidden to make contact after his sires fell out with the grumpy hunter the young Alphas' words spilled out a jumble of profuse apologies and explanations.

Bobby felt his temper flare, he’d always considered the brothers like his own kids, and hearing Dean was headed for jail and Sam in CPS custody wanted another shot at the elder Winchester with something stronger than rock salt. Reassuring Sam he’d be there by nightfall pulled out his hunters' contacts and started dialing, putting out John's last known location.

Bobby’s first stop was at CPS. He presented the faked documentation verifying he was their blood uncle then took him to the police station to find out what was happening with Dean. 

At the station Bobby flashed his law enforcement credentials to the officer in charge whose response was information would be only released when his Alpha arrived, wasn’t allowed any visitors except the public defender assigned but slipped that Dean what he was being charged with.

Unable to do anything else and unwilling to sit around the rental where the brothers were staying to wait for the Alpha, Sam had Bobby take him to the local library to research the state’s laws pertaining to his brother's case.

Two days later John rolled into town and went directly to the station where he was informed of the situation and then allowed a brief visit with his son.

John entered the interrogation room and saw Dean seated wrists and ankles shackled and tethered to the table, the reddish cast in his eyes that'd begun when Caleb found him, fully turning his irises red.

Out of all the shit he’d done over the years this proved what he always thought; Dean was a worthless fuck-up and offspring or not, he no longer wanted to deal with.

Dean suddenly found himself airborne, legs flailing, and kicked over the chair he’d been sitting in before being slammed face-first on the table, trapped, at the mercy of his sire who he knew was going to kill him. 

His final thoughts were only about one person, flashing back to the night baby Sammy was placed in his arms and his dad ordered; take your brother outside as fast as you can and don’t look back he was Dean's responsibility to protect and care for. As he lost consciousness the door burst open and three deputies drew their tasers shocking the incensed Alpha. 

Sam maneuvered around the chaos and sank to his knees next to Dean lying on the floor, gasping air between his bluish lips and a thick band of purplish discoloration around his neck felt the dark and angry thing that lived under his skin flare up, slithering through his veins felt his canines elongating releases a bloodcurdling wrawl. 

Silence filled the air except for Dean’s raspy breath as Sam slowly stood up scanning the room, unsure why everything was tinted a strange color when his eyes landed on his dad, angered that while his brother's lower status didn’t interfere with hunting, it’d never allow him to stand up to their dad.

“Son, don’t,” Bobby’s voice was absurdly loud, agitating, like nails on a chalkboard but his gaze never left John as the deputies dragged him out.

At the arraignment hearing they found out Dean was being charged with voluntary manslaughter. 

The district attorney said due to the extenuating circumstances; an Alpha on the cusp of their rut and the Betas signed a confession of intentionally seeking out another for infidelity as retribution because their Alpha recently purchased a House Omega against their wishes they were willing to accept a plea deal.

“As stipulated by state law, Alpha John Winchester will have ten days to procure an Omega for  his pack's lower-ranked Alpha, Dean Winchester, and present them in court with the proper documentation or the defendant will be reprimanded into custody to serve the mandatory five-year imprisonment.” 

The DA paused and glances towards the gallery, “the Alpha will also be required to surrender custody of Samuel Winchester, his other minor Alpha son, to be placed in a state-sanctioned home.” The defense attorney asked for a brief recess to discuss the terms when John stood up.

“Your honor, there’s no need for a recess, I accept the deal.”

Shouting and loud banging at the far end of the showroom drew the attention of several patrons then stopped just as suddenly as it started.

 “Dean, go wait by the entrance.” 

“What?” Dean disbelievingly barked and John grabbed his leather jacket collar, “don’t you take that tone with me boy,” he snarled in a low voice. “I’m having to clean up your fucking mess so your brother doesn’t end up in the system.”

 ”Yes sir,” Dean replies chastised, turning towards the warehouse's entrance with his brother naturally following hearing their dad say, “no Sam, you’re with me,” peeks back to see his brothers' cheeks flushed in embarrassment, trying to not gawk at the naked Omegas as he reluctantly falls in behind them.

Their dad had raised them to not only hunt evil but protect the innocent and this situation went against everything ingrained in them, knowing these O’s were destined for servitude or used as breeding stock and couldn’t help them. 

“Let's get down to brass tacks shall we,” the dealer gestures around. “As you can see, our stock has a diverse selection, is there a particular type you’re interested in purchasing?”

“I need one under 18.”

Part II

SPN TAGS: @donnaintx  @lyarr24  @flamencodiva  @b3autyfuldisast3r @lassie-bird @nancymcl @spnbaby-67  @leigh70

Sam/Jared: @idreamofplaid

[ladyphoenixfyre]

I consider myself to be OT7.

I’ve been quietly supporting each member as they release their solo endeavors, whether that be an album, a single, a collab, or (what some may consider) an EP.

I watched the MVs, listened to the entire JITB album, and nearly screamed myself hoarse watching Hobipallooza from my room.

I did the same for The Astronaut, even if I could only watch the CP concert the next day from a stream because I was so exhausted from work I fell asleep waiting for it. I loved watching Jin on Youngji’s No Prepare show, cackling and shrieking with laughter through it.

Same thing for Indigo, with Joon’s little concerts. Watched his interview with Pharrell, and other shows he made appearances in (I need to find an upload with English subs for the Dictionary of Useless Knowledge) and listened to the podcast from Art Basel. His appearance on the Pisick Show was fun and funny.

Loved Tae’s version of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, it’s on a playlist with all the other holiday songs that was playing during the season. I have to find subbed free versions of Jinny’s Kitchen because the little clips and gifs I saw Twitter just intrigued me more.

Same again for Left and Right, Bad Decisions (seriously, ARMY? Meeting up with Benny after a wild scavenger hunt-type thing? Lol), Sexxy Nukim, Crush, Vibe (thank you for the introduction to Taeyang!), On the Street, Smoke Sprite.

And again for FACE, staying up to watch Mimi’s music show appearances, and other show appearances (Radio SBS, PIXID, that fun one that I can’t remember the name of where he kept tossing that one guy into the pool after he figured out what action triggered the seat catapult thing).

And I will do so again for D-3.

And whatever else is released by all 7 members as soloists.

All that being said, my ultimate bias is Jimin, with the other 6 members taking turns being bias wreckers.

I identify more with his dance background than I do Hobi’s.

Hobi is a phenomenal dancer, his fluidity is something else and has made me wonder if the man has bones. Yes, I know he does, but you get where I’m going.

But it’s Jimin’s classical training that got my interest because of my own training.

I’m not a dancer, by the way. I took ballet and those few years I danced were my favorite because of all I experienced in that time frame.

Back to Jimin.

His dance background is what started me really looking into him. His duality (cutie pie one moment, Kitty Gang the next) and professionalism got me next. Then his personality just sealed the deal. His empathy to/for everyone around him, his sincere appreciation of and for ARMY, his politeness and humility around those not just his senior but to his juniors, too.

A lot of the time I want to squish him, wrap him up in a nice soft blanket, and put him in my pocket, away from the haters, antis, toxic solos, and everything bad in the world.

But he is grown ass adult, regardless of the fact that many want to treat him like a child. Yes, I’ll include myself in that group.

He makes adult decisions every day, personally, privately, and also professionally. Especially professionally.

We, as fans and people who don’t personally know him, have no say in ANY of his decisions. Voice your opinion all you want, it will not have any bearing or weight on his decision-making process. The only time someone else would have that impact is if he directly asks someone for their opinion and he decides it has weight.

That applies to ALL the members.

Know your place as a fan. We support the members individually and as a group by streaming the music and MVs they release, purchase albums and singles if our wallets allow, vote when we are able, and trend appropriate, official hashtags.

We have no say on their personal and professional lives. We have no right to their personal time and should leave them alone if they are out and about trying to be incognito.

We are so blessed and lucky that they share as much as they do.

I saw that someone had recently created a Twitter account for posting information about their flights. THAT is crossing a line. THAT is putting the members’ safety at jeopardy. THAT is not how ARMY should be.

[uswnt5]

How many more goals and caps would CP have gotten if they allowed 5 subs her entire career?

yeah! even though she was almost always one of the first two off the bench.

[fourseasonsfigs]

Ace vs Ace - Flirting

Yesterday's Ace vs Ace Livestream warmup figs post could only be followed up by Ace vs Ace figs from the variety show itself!

Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun appeared together on episode 9 of Season 6 of Ace vs. Ace on March 14, 2021. Unfortunately, I don't have a link for the full English sub of the episode available, which is a real shame as this was a fun episode with a lot of cute moments.

The inspiration for these figs comes from a game on the show where the guests were asked to quickly act out a spoken word or phrase.

This scene depicts the two's frankly hilarious interpretation of "flirting". Here's the trailer video, which helpfully has a cut of their frankly quite inspired rendition:

I mean...why wouldn't flirting be slapping at each other's hands and looking like you're having a grand time doing it?

The fig maker got their expressions right on! Zhehan's mischevious eyes and big laughing mouth, and Junjun's equally as delighted big beaming smile. The hair is also really well done in that in captures Zhehan's buzz cut and Junjun's short but styled look. I really wish Tumblr would allow me more than one video a post, because there's another cute acting-out-action in this game where they are patting each other's heads.

These aren't my favorite outfits of theirs, but I think the fig maker did an excellent job with the details on them.

And here they are! Cutely slap fighting away. The fig versions are a liiiitle bit closer together than in the show, mostly because their fig arms aren't fully extended. It looks like they're playing smooch patty cake.

I just spun them around here so you could see from this side with them still flirting away. You can see the fig maker took special care to maintain Junjun's long tall figure and Zhehan's slightly shorter curvier one!

Both of these look like they'll stand just fine on their own, but they don't. I thought their tendency to topple over would be offset if I just had them leaning against their hands (it's most accurate anyway!) but they kept falling over.

I had to put Zhehan on a fig sticker because he just wouldn't stay standing no matter what. Junjun is a little more solid, but isn't super stable standing up either. For permanent display they're definitely going onto the little fig bases I have on the way.

Little bit of an overhead shot here - not too much detail really other than Zhehan's delightfully spiky buzz cut. You know how much I love my long-haired Zhehan figures, but it's nice to have some different looks too!

The figures also come with a gong standee. The first pic above has Zhehan leaning on the side of the gong, but it's mostly cut off from the picture. Here's a better pic of the two of them with the gong:

The striker was not included with the standee, but that's ok. We'd have had to have them posing different if they were modeling this moment instead of the flirting moment.

The gentlemen with the standee for size comparison purposes.

Bright and cheerful box cards. I can see the orange cheering them on from the audience!

Material: PVC (figs) and acrylic (gong)

Fig Count: 116

Diorama Count: 7

Snowglobe Count: 1

Rating: The hottest CP is right here!

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

[thxnews]

UK Post Office Horizon Convictions Quashed

Hundreds of postmasters have had their convictions quashed today, marking a significant milestone in one of the UK's greatest miscarriages of justice. The Royal Assent of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 has brought long-awaited relief to those wronged by the Horizon IT scandal. Note: The Official Government Letter to Postmasters is at the end of this article.  

Introduction

On Friday, 24 May, hundreds of postmasters finally saw their convictions quashed, a momentous event following the Royal Assent of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024. This act addresses the infamous Horizon IT scandal, which led to wrongful convictions, financial ruin, and tarnished reputations. The quashing of these convictions provides justice and a path to financial redress for the affected postmasters.   A Scandal Unveiled The Horizon IT system, introduced by the Post Office in 1999, was intended to streamline operations. Instead, it resulted in one of the UK's largest miscarriages of justice. Between 1996 and 2018, many postmasters were wrongfully accused of theft, fraud, and false accounting due to flaws in the system. These accusations led to prosecutions that destroyed livelihoods, homes, and reputations.  

The Path to Justice

The quashing of convictions comes after years of campaigning and legal battles. The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 sets forth specific criteria for quashing convictions: - Prosecutions were brought by the Post Office or CPS (or in Northern Ireland, the state prosecutor or the police). - Offences were related to Post Office business between 1996 and 2018. - Relevant offences included theft, fraud, and false accounting. - Convictions were against sub-postmasters, their employees, officers, family members, or direct employees of the Post Office using the Horizon system. - Convictions had not been considered by the Court of Appeal. These criteria ensure that justice is served to those wrongfully convicted, allowing them to restore their names and receive compensation.  

The Human Cost

The impact of the Horizon IT scandal on postmasters cannot be overstated. Many endured financial ruin, lost their homes, and suffered irreparable damage to their reputations. The psychological toll was immense, with some individuals experiencing severe mental health issues due to the stress and stigma of criminal accusations.   Government Response In response to the quashing of convictions, the government has committed to ensuring swift and fair compensation for affected postmasters. The Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme, set to be fully operational by summer, will provide financial redress to those who have had their convictions quashed. An open letter to postmasters has also been published, outlining the next steps in the process.

Financial Redress Scheme

The new Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme aims to expedite compensation for those impacted by the scandal. This scheme will address the financial losses and damages suffered by postmasters, ensuring they receive the justice they deserve. The Department for Business and Trade is working diligently to implement this scheme by summer.   Key Criteria for Quashing Convictions Criteria Description Prosecutions Brought by Post Office or CPS (or state prosecutor in NI) Time Frame Offences between 1996 and 2018 Offences Theft, fraud, false accounting Affected Individuals Sub-postmasters, their employees, officers, family members, direct employees using Horizon Appeal Status Convictions not considered by Court of Appeal   A Step Forward The quashing of convictions marks a significant step forward in addressing the injustices faced by postmasters. It is a recognition of their wrongful treatment and a move towards restoring their dignity and livelihoods. This event underscores the importance of accountability and transparency in large institutions, ensuring that such a scandal does not occur again.   To Summarize The quashing of the Post Office Horizon convictions is a landmark moment in the pursuit of justice. It highlights the severe consequences of flawed systems and the resilience of those who fought for their rights. As the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme rolls out, postmasters can finally see a path to restoring their lives and reputations.  

*Exact Copy of the Official Letter to Postmasters*

Dear postmasters, The Horizon IT Scandal is one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our history. Some of you have endured financial ruin, the loss of homes, livelihoods, and reputation. We have a duty to right these wrongs and deliver justice to you as quickly as possible. That’s why we introduced this Act, and why we acted quickly to make sure it was passed by Parliament before the general election. Parliament’s decision means that hundreds of convictions of innocent postmasters have been quashed. This clears your names, delivers justice, and ensures swift access to the financial redress that postmasters deserve. Convictions will be quashed if they meet the criteria set out in the Act, but in summary you will be eligible if: - prosecutions were brought about by the Post Office or CPS (or in Northern Ireland, the state prosecutor or the police) - offences were carried out in connection with Post Office business between 1996 and 2018 - your conviction(s) were for relevant offences such as theft, fraud and false accounting - your conviction(s) were against postmasters, their employees, officers, family members or direct employees of the Post Office working in a Post Office that used the Horizon system software - the conviction has not been considered by the Court of Appeal  

Updating court and criminal records

At this stage you do not need to take any further action. The Ministry of Justice has established a casework team who are in the process of identifying individuals in England & Wales whose convictions have been quashed by the Act and will write to them in the coming weeks to inform them of the quashing of their convictions. The Department of Justice is responsible for identifying and notifying individuals in Northern Ireland. The Ministry of Justice casework team will then provide details of convictions to His Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and the Police, and those agencies will amend court and police records to reflect the changes brought about by the legislation. The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) acting for the Police Service will entirely delete any records relating to quashed convictions from the Police National Computer. Completely deleting the conviction record from the Police National Computer will mean the information is not available for any operational Police or law enforcement investigations, and in addition will no longer show up on any criminal record check, such as a DBS check. The Department of Justice, Northern Ireland Courts & Tribunals Service and Police Service of Northern Ireland will take similar steps to amend records in Northern Ireland. We will write to you again to confirm when your relevant court and criminal records have been updated.  

Claiming financial redress

If you have had your convictions quashed under this legislation you will be entitled to financial redress. Work to establish the new redress scheme is underway and it will be in place by the summer, in line with previous government commitments. We will provide further information on how you can register for this scheme in due course.  

When you should contact us

We will provide further updates on progress but expect that most relevant convictions will have been identified and letters sent by the end of July. If you have not heard from the Ministry of Justice casework team or the Department of Justice by the end of July, we would encourage you to contact them directly to ensure that your conviction has been considered. To make us aware of your conviction, or for any further queries, please email: PostOfficeConvictions@justice.gov.uk, or, for Northern Ireland, PostOfficeHorizon@justice-ni.gov.uk If you would prefer you can write to: Post Office Convictions Unit 8B Berkley Way South Tyneside Tyne & Wear NE31 1SF Or for Northern Ireland: Post Office Convictions (Northern Ireland) Legacy Litigation & Projects Unit Massey House Stormont Estate Belfast BT4 3SX   Sources: THX News & Department for Business and Trade. Read the full article

[thestoriesofimmigration]

In October 2023, the Foreign-Born Share Was the Highest in History

The Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) shows that the total foreign-born or immigrant population (legal and illegal) was 49.5 million in October 2023 — a 4.5 million increase since President Biden took office and a new record high. At 15 percent, the foreign-born share of the U.S. population is also the highest ever recorded in American history. As the debate rages over the ongoing border crisis, this finding is important because administrative numbers such as border encounters or even legal immigrant arrivals do not measure the actual size of the immigrant population, which is what ultimately determines immigration’s impact on the country.

Among the findings:

In October 2023, the CPS shows that 15 percent of the U.S. population is now foreign-born — higher than any U.S. government survey or census has ever recorded.

The 49.5 million foreign-born residents (legal and illegal) in October 2023 is also a new record high.

Since President Biden took office in January 2021, the foreign-born population has grown by 4.5 million — larger than the individual populations of 25 U.S. states.

Based on our prior estimates of illegal immigrants, more than half (2.5 million) of the 4.5 million increase in the foreign-born population since January 2021 is likely due to illegal immigration. If adjusted for those missed by the survey, the increase would be larger.

The 4.5 million increase overall and the 2.5 million increase in illegal immigrants are both net figures. The number of new arrivals was significantly higher, but was offset by outmigration and natural mortality among the foreign-born already here.

The foreign-born population has grown on average by 137,000 a month since President Biden took office, compared to 42,000 a month during Trump’s presidency before Covid-19 hit, and 68,000 a month during President Obama’s two terms.

The scale of immigration is so high that it appears to have made the new Census Bureau population projections, published on November 9 of this year, obsolete. The bureau projected that the foreign-born share was not supposed to hit 15 percent until 2033.

The largest percentage increases since January 2021 are for immigrants from South America (up 28 percent); Central America (up 25 percent); Sub-Saharan Africa (up 21 percent); the Caribbean (up 20 percent); and the Middle East (up 14 percent).

Immigrants from all of Latin America increased by 2.9 million since January 2021, accounting for 63 percent of the total increase in the foreign-born.

While a large share of the recent foreign-born growth is due to illegal immigration, legal immigrants still account for three-fourths of the total foreign-born population.

Introduction

This analysis is based on the Current Population Survey (CPS), sometimes referred to as the “household survey”, collected each month by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The primary purpose of the survey is to collect information about the U.S. labor market, such as the unemployment rate, but starting in 1994 questions about citizenship, country of birth, and year of arrival were added. While the larger American Community Survey (ACS) is often used to study the foreign-born, the most recent version of the ACS reflects only the population in July 2022 and does not fully reflect the rapidly evolving border crisis. Using the monthly CPS allows us to have an up-to-date picture of what is happening. Also, the CPS seems to do a better job of capturing the dramatic growth in the foreign-born population in the last few years. In the Appendix we discuss the ACS compared to the CPS.

We use the terms “immigrant” and “foreign-born” interchangeably in this report.1 The foreign-born in Census Bureau data includes all persons who were not U.S. citizens at birth — mainly naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, long-term temporary visitors, and illegal immigrants. The CPS shows a dramatic rebound in the foreign-born population after declining some in the latter half of 2019 followed by a dramatic fall-off in 2020 due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. While the monthly CPS is a very large survey of about 130,000 individuals, the total foreign-born population in the data still has a margin of error of about ±550,000 using a 90 percent confidence level. This means there is fluctuation from month to month in the size of this population, making it necessary to compare longer periods of time when trying to determine trends.2

Growth in The Foreign-Born Population

Recent Growth in the Foreign-Born. Figure 1 reports the total number of foreign-born residents in the United States from May 2019 to October 2023. The figure shows that even though the economy was expanding in the months before the pandemic, the foreign-born population was trending down in the latter part of 2019. Once travel restrictions were imposed and Title 42 was implemented at the border, the immigrant population declined through the middle of 2020, hitting a low of 43.8 million in August and September of that year. People still arrived in 2020 but outmigration and natural mortality were higher, and so the total immigrant population fell. The foreign-born population has rebounded dramatically by 5.75 million after hitting a low in late summer of 2020. However, it is possible that some of the initial increase after Covid may have been due to better data collection as the pandemic abated rather than an actual increase in the immigrant population.

Growth in the Foreign-Born Population under Biden. Focusing on the period after President Biden took office in January 2021 shows an increase of 4.5 million. The increase during Biden’s first 34 months is unprecedented.3 What is so striking about the recent run-up in the number of immigrants is that the increase represents a net change, not merely new inflow. The foreign-born population can only grow when immigrants arrive from abroad, but these new arrivals are always offset by emigration and mortality among the existing immigrant population. All births to immigrants in the United States, by definition, can add only to the native-born population. This means that significantly more than 4.5 million people had to have arrived from abroad for it to grow this much.

The Number of New Arrivals. Responses to the year of arrival question in the public-use CPS are grouped into multi-year cohorts to preserve anonymity. The October 2023 CPS groups those who arrived from 2020 to 2023 together. In the October data, 6.3 million immigrants told the Census Bureau that they arrived in 2020 or later. From other data, we can estimate that about 700,000 immigrants arrived in 2020, which was a very low year of immigration due to Covid-19.4 This indicates that 5.6 million new immigrants arrived from January 2021 to October 2023, translating to two million arrivals each year since January 2021 on an annualized basis. This is much higher than annual immigration measured by the ACS, which has individual year of arrival data.5 However, given the 4.5 million growth over this time, 5.6 million arrivals seems low: First, we are not certain of the 5.6 million figure. Second, there are, of course, margins of error around all of these numbers.6 The margin of error for 5.6 million immigrants is ±200,000, using a 90 percent confidence level, and, as already indicated, the margin of error around the total foreign-born is ±550,00. Perhaps most important, capturing newly arrived immigrants in any survey is difficult, so the undercount in the CPS is likely concentrated among the newest immigrants, and this may explain why the arrivals data seems low relative to growth.7

Biden Compared to His Immediate Predecessors. Figure 2 shows the size of the foreign-born population from the start of President Obama’s first term in January 2009 to October of this year, along with margins of error. There are clearly significant fluctuations in the size of the immigrant population over the last decade and a half. But looking at each presidency shows that growth since the start of the Biden administration is dramatically higher. So far it has averaged 137,000 a month since President Biden took office compared to 42,000 a month during Trump’s presidency before Covid-19 hit — January 2017 to February 2020. The average increase during Biden’s presidency is nearly double the 76,000 a month average during Obama’s second term and significantly more than double the average increase of 59,000 in Obama’s first term.8 If Obama’s presidency is taken as a whole, growth averaged about 68,000 per month. Averaging many months together reduces month-to-month fluctuation and shows that the pace of growth during the Biden administration has been much higher than his immediate predecessors.

Growth by Sending Region. Table 1 shows immigrants by region in January 2021 and October 2023. Since January 2021, South America increased the most at 28 percent, followed by Central America at 25 percent, Sub-Saharan Africa at 21 percent, the Caribbean at 20 percent, and the Middle East at 14 percent. Growth in the number of immigrants from the Caribbean, Central America, and South America each account for roughly one fifth of the total increase. Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia accounted for another tenth each.9 As discussed later in this report, the substantial increase in immigrants from Latin America is an indication that illegal immigration has played a large role in the recent growth of the foreign-born population. By October 2023, Latin Americans were 53.5 percent of the total foreign-born living in the United States.

Historical Perspective. Figure 3 shows the number and foreign-born share of the U.S. population since 1850, which was the first time they were identified in the Census. The number of immigrants has increased five-fold since 1970, 2.5-fold since 1990, and 59 percent since 2000. As a share of the population, even in 1890 (14.8 percent) and 1910 (14.7 percent) during what is often called the “Great Wave” of immigration, the foreign-born were a slightly smaller share of the population than they are today.10 The 15 percent in October of this year is the highest percentage ever reported in any Census or government survey in U.S. history. The share is triple what it was in 1970 and nearly double that of 1990. If the immigrant population continues to grow, it will set new numerical and percentage records every year going forward. When thinking about the impact on American society, it seems fair to assume that both the size of the foreign-born population and its share of the population matter.

What’s Causing the Rapid Growth?

A Resumption of Prior Trends? One interpretation of the dramatic growth in the foreign-born population is that it is making up for the slowdown during Covid-19. There is truth to this, especially when it comes to legal immigration. During Covid, the processing of visas overseas greatly slowed. Of course, there is no reason legal immigration had to return to pre-pandemic levels, as the number of immigrants admitted is a discretionary policy set by Congress. The scale of illegal immigration is also certainly not pre-determined, as the level of resources and effort devoted to controlling it reflects each administration’s goals and policy choices. Figure 4 shows the number of immigrants in October each year from 2010 to 2023 and a line reflecting the pre-Covid-19 (2010 to 2019) trend. The recent growth in the size of the foreign-born is clearly above the pre-pandemic trend line. Figure 5 shows the same is true for the foreign-born share of the U.S. population. At least when measured this way, it would be a mistake to argue that the recent rapid increase in the number is simply a resumption in trends prior to the pandemic.

Border Surge and Aliens Released. From January 2021 to October 2023, there have been roughly eight million “encounters” at U.S. borders.12 This appears to be a record for a 34-month period, though in the past they were called “apprehensions”, which is a slightly different concept. Even more important, court records and other information on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) websites indicate that about 2.6 million (possibly 2.7 million) inadmissible aliens have been released into the country since the start of the Biden administration.13 It is important to note that as inadmissible aliens virtually all of those released are not considered to have been formally admitted into the United States. As such, they are subject to removal as illegal immigrants, even those who have been granted parole status. In addition, the number of “got-aways”, subjects observed entering illegally but not stopped or turned back, more than doubled to 391,000 in 2021 compared to 2019 before the pandemic.14 DHS has not updated this number. However, media accounts and DHS Secretary Mayorkas’ response to a reporter’s question in May 2023 suggest that there have been 1.5 million got-aways in FY 2021 and 2022 — five to six times the annual level pre-pandemic.15 Those released into the country and got-aways represent enormous new additions to the foreign-born population.

The huge increase in border encounters and got-aways seems closely related to the president’s campaign promises that created the accurate perception, well before he even took office, that he would curtail immigration enforcement. Ending the Migrant Protection Protocols (also called Remain in Mexico) for many asylum applicants, the scaling back of Title 42, and then the decision to end it all together also helped spur more illegal immigration. The decision to release so many people into the country also causes even more people to make their way to the border in the hopes of getting released. It also causes ever more people to use the new CBP One app created by the administration to help inadmissible aliens schedule their entry.

Fall in Interior Enforcement. Another factor that has played a role in encouraging illegal immigration is the dramatic decline in interior enforcement. In the first two years of the Biden administration, removals from within the country by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were less than half what they were in prior years. In FY 2020, 186,000 aliens were removed. This fell to 59,000 in FY 2021 and increased only slightly to 72,000 in FY 2022.16 The administration has also refused to take custody of non-citizens released from jails and prisons in some cases. Corey Price, acting associate director for Enforcement and Removal Operations at ICE, testified in a lawsuit brought by Florida that the administration removed many fewer illegal immigrants than were removed a decade earlier as a matter of policy. The decision to reduce interior enforcement not only means more illegal immigrants remain in the country, it also encourages others to come and stay knowing that they will probably never be made to leave.

Visa Overstays. A significant number of new illegal immigrants, and perhaps a majority before the current border surge, were admitted legally on a temporary visa or under the visa waiver program and then did not leave the country when the time limit expired. DHS for FY 2022 showed 850,000 foreign visitors overstayed their authorized stay in that year.17 The total overstay rate for 2022 was 3.64 percent, which is more than double the rate of recent years. Of course, not all of these individuals stay long-term, and there is always some number of people who leave the country but whose departure was not properly recorded. Still, overstays have increased.18 Those overstayers who chose to stay long-term represent new additions to the nation’s immigrant population.

Rebound in Legal Immigration. The number of legal permanent residents (green card holders) arriving from abroad — in contrast to those “adjusting status” from within the U.S. — fell significantly during Covid, but it has rebounded since. In the first quarter of 2021, only 23,000 new green card holders were admitted from abroad, but the number increased steadily thereafter and was 105,000 by the fourth quarter of that year. Moreover, the number of permanent immigrants arriving from abroad increased from 227,000 for all of FY 2021 to 446,000 for FY 2022.19 The number of long-term temporary visas and refugee resettlement also show a significant rebound since Covid.20 Legal immigrants account for some 44 percent of the increase in the total foreign-born population since January 2021. Moreover, legal immigrants, including long-term temporary visitors, still account for three-quarters of the total foreign-born residing in the United States.

Estimating Illegal Immigration Illegal Immigrants in the CPS. In testimony prepared in September for the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, of the Education and the Workforce Committee of the House of Representatives, we preliminarily estimated that the illegal population grew from 10.2 million in January 2021 to 12.6 million by May 2023. These figures are based on the CPS but are adjusted for those missed by the survey. Without an undercount adjustment, there were 12.3 million illegal immigrants in the May 2023 CPS, compared to 10 million in January 2021. Unfortunately, all of the administrative data on legal immigration is not yet available to properly estimate illegal immigration through October 2023. But given the ongoing border crisis we have no reason to believe that things have changed significantly since May. If that is correct, then about 2.5 million of the 4.5 million increase in the foreign-born in the CPS from January 2021 to October 2023 is due to illegal immigration. This number is unadjusted for undercount of illegal immigrants in the CPS. If adjusted, it could mean the illegal population was 12.8 million in October of this year, up from 10.2 million (undercount adjusted) in January 2021. All of these numbers represent a net increase — the number of new illegal immigrants arriving over the time period is a good deal higher but is offset by outmigration, adjustments of status (legalization), and deaths.

Indirect Evidence of Illegal Immigration. For the most part, illegal immigrants should show up in Census Bureau surveys as non-citizens who, because of the 1986 IRCA amnesty, arrived in 1980 or later.21 We also know from research by the federal government, the Center for Migration Studies, the Pew Research Center, and the Migration Policy Institute that roughly three-quarters of illegal immigrants are from Latin America.22 As a result, the post-1980 non-citizen Latin American immigrant population overlaps significantly with the illegal immigrant population.23 Figure 6 shows the relative stability in this population from October 2010 to October 2019. This relative stability is consistent with the estimates by the above organizations showing relatively modest changes in the illegal immigrant population over this time period.24 However, that has now changed. Compared to 2019, before Covid-19 hit, the Latin American immigrant population has increased by three million. To be sure, not all illegal immigrants come from the Western Hemisphere, and there are many legal immigrants from this region. That said, the growth of non-citizens from this part of the world adds support to the idea that the illegal immigrant population has grown considerably in recent years.

Where We’re Headed

New Census Bureau Projections. On November 9 of this year the Census Bureau put out new population projections. When they were released, we expressed concerns about the level of net migration they estimated. The Census Bureau’s “main series” projection shows a level of migration that simply does not comport with what the CPS or ACS shows.25 Furthermore, for 2023 the projections show a total foreign-born population of 47.05 million — which is 2.5 million below what the October 2023 CPS shows. Moreover, the projections show that the foreign-born share of the U.S. population was not supposed to hit 15 percent until 2033, and the total number was not supposed to hit 49.5 million until 2027 or 2028.26 The recent run-up in the foreign-born numbers has been so rapid that it appears to have made the new projections obsolete.

Projecting the Near-Term. Figure 7 projects the foreign-born population to the end of a hypothetical Biden second term using a linear model based on trends since he took office in January 2021. It shows that the foreign-born would reach 51.3 million and 15.5 percent of the total U.S population by the end of his first term in December 2024. If present trends are allowed to continue, the total number of immigrants would reach 58.9 million and 17.3 percent of the total population by the end of a second Biden term. These numbers and percentages are, of course, all new record highs. If this happens it would mean that during his eight years, the foreign-born population would grow by 14 million — much of it illegal. This would exceed even the 11.1 million increase in the 10 years between 1990 and 2000, which is the largest numerical intercensal increase in the foreign-born population ever. Of course, this is far from certain. But Figure 7 does represent one possible future based on what’s happening right now.

Conclusion

The current scale of immigration (legal and illegal) into the United States has been truly enormous. The October 2023 Current Population Survey (CPS), collected by the Census Bureau, shows that 15 percent of the U.S. population is now foreign-born — the largest share on record. The prior record was 14.8 percent, 133 years ago in 1890. The immigrant share of the population has more than tripled since 1970 and nearly doubled since 1990. The number of immigrants has increased five-fold since 1970, 2.5 times since 1990, and is up 59 percent since 2000. The 49.5 million foreign-born residents now living in the U.S. is a new record high in American history. Since President Biden took office in January 2021 it has increased by 4.5 million — larger than the individual populations of 25 U.S. states. It is very likely that more than half of this increase, 2.5 million, is from new illegal immigration. This recent growth has important implications for everything from the nation’s education and healthcare systems to its physical infrastructure and labor force. Perhaps the most fundamental question these numbers raise is whether America can successfully incorporate and assimilate this many people.

The size and growth of the immigrant population is not static. Legal immigration continues at least at the pre-Covid pace, and illegal immigration almost certainly remains very high. If legal and illegal immigration were to continue at the current level, we project that the total foreign-born population will reach nearly 59 million and 17.3 percent of population by the end of Biden’s second term in December 2028. Adding so many people to the country so fast may please employers and immigration advocacy groups, but any serious discussion of immigration policy has to grapple with these numbers and the implications they have for American society.

Appendix: Comparing Census Surveys

Understanding Survey Data. Like virtually all modern surveys, the CPS is weighted to reflect the size and characteristics of the population of interest. Census Bureau surveys are weighted by key variables such as sex, race, age, and Hispanic origin, so that the resulting population totals reflect what the bureau believes is the actual U.S. population. For example, each of the 340 non-Hispanic white men age 26 surveyed by the October CPS were given a weight of roughly 2,900 on average, and the 70 non-Hispanic black women in the survey age 26 were given a weight of roughly 5,000 on average. This is done based on what the Bureau believes is the total number of people in each of these populations. The weights used in Census surveys reflect the “population estimates”, which begin with the results of the decennial census that are then added to each year based on birth and death records and estimates of net migration. To a large extent, the quality of survey results depends on the accuracy of the weights.

Net Migration and the Weights. As we have discussed more than once in prior publications, the big issue with the population estimates, and the resulting weights used for surveys, is the migration component. The bureau has struggled with estimating what it calls “net international migration” (NIM) — the difference between the number of people coming vs. leaving each year — for a very long time. In December 2022 they even went back and re-estimated migration from 2010 to 2020 and found that they had underestimated NIM in every year by a combined 1.94 million. The sample weights do reflect illegal immigration, but even the new migration methodology cannot fully reflect the kind of dramatic and sudden increase in illegal immigration we have seen in the last few years. The bureau’s estimate of NIM partly relied on comparing ACS data year-over-year. Thus, their migration estimates and the weights that are based on them simply cannot account for the huge numbers released into the country and the increase in got-aways.

How the Weights Impact the Foreign-Born. In the discussion of the surveys’ results below, the ACS and CPS have somewhat different methodologies and population universes, but their weights reflect the same basic population estimates.27 If the migration component of the weights is underestimated, it means estimates of the foreign-born will be off, but not necessarily widely inaccurate. Being foreign-born is not one of the variables used by the bureau to weight the data. Being an immigrant is a characteristic, like unemployment or income, that is based on responses to the survey. Again, this is unlike a variable like race, which is controlled to a particular population total by the survey’s weights. However, because race and being an immigrant are correlated, an underestimate of migration will indirectly impact the size of the foreign-born. That is, nearly three-quarters of the foreign-born are Asian or Hispanic, so if estimates of migration are too low, they will result in weighted totals for the foreign-born that are too low.

Monthly CPS Compared to ACS. The American Community Survey (ACS) is a much larger survey than the monthly CPS we use throughout this analysis.28 As we discussed in the introduction, the very large size of the ACS makes it ideal for studying subpopulations such as the foreign-born, but it is not released on as timely a basis as the CPS, so it does not reflect the current immigration situation as well. Figure 7 compares the foreign-born population in the ACS to a combined three-month sample (June, July, August) of the monthly CPS. Using the summer months allows us to roughly match the July control date of the ACS, and using three months creates more statistically robust estimates. The ACS consistently produced much larger estimates of the foreign-born than the summer CPS until 2018. This is expected because the ACS includes the institutionalized. From 2018 to 2021, the result of the surveys was similar, which is surprising. In 2022, the summer months of the CPS show a foreign-born population that is actually one million larger than the ACS — a statistically significant difference.29 The 880,000 growth in the foreign-born in the ACS from 2021 to 2022 is also much less than half the 2.2 million growth in the summer months of the CPS over this time period. Why the relative measurement of the foreign-born in the two surveys changed is unclear.

Is the CPS Better? Given the unprecedented nature of the current immigration influx, it is possible that, because the CPS requires an initial in-person interview, it better captures the foreign-born when the roster of household members is first established at the time of the first interview. Respondents can be confused about who is supposed to be considered part of the household, particularly if someone just arrived or is expected to stay only a short time. Speaking with a survey taker may help clear up any confusion, who will also reassure the respondent that all their answers are kept confidential. Moreover, those taking part in the CPS are told when they join that they will be in the survey for four months, leave for eight months, and then rejoin for four additional months. Knowing they will have many future interactions with the government may make them more likely to tell the bureau about foreign-born individuals in the household. Repeated interviews also create a relationship with Census employees that could increase the probability that respondents will let the bureau know when a person joins the household. In contrast, ACS respondents are surveyed only once, and most participants do so on paper or online. How all the differences between CPS and ACS impact estimates of the foreign-born, especially during the ongoing border crisis, is difficult to say.30 What is clear is that the CPS provides the most up-to-date picture of the rapidly evolving immigration situation.

End Notes

The term “immigrant” has a specific meaning in U.S. immigration law, which is all those inspected and admitted as lawful permanent residents. In this analysis, we use the term “immigrant” in the non-technical sense to mean all those who were not U.S.-citizens at birth. Table A7 in the employment situation reports the number of foreign-born residents 16 and older each month. In October 2023, it shows 46.9 million immigrants 16 and older and our analysis of the public-use data shows an additional 2.6 million immigrants under age 16, for a total foreign-born population of 49.5 million.

2 The margins of error shown in Figure 2 are based on standard errors calculated using parameter estimates and an adjustment for foreign-born respondents, which reflects the survey’s complex design. To the best of our knowledge, neither the BLS nor the Census Bureau has provided parameter estimates or an adjustment specifically for the foreign-born that applies to the general population in the monthly CPS. For this reason, we use the parameter estimates and foreign-born adjustment provided by the government for the labor force.

3 Since the monthly CPS first asked about citizenship on a regular basis in 1994, there has never been a 33-month period that witnessed this kind of growth, except if the lows reached during Covid-19 in the late summer of 2020 are compared to the spring of 2023. However, the collection of Census Bureau surveys was disrupted by the pandemic, so the foreign-born count in 2020 may not be entirely accurate, creating a 33-month period of growth that is overstated. Of course, there must have been a real fall-off in the overall size of the foreign-born population from March to the late summer of 2020. Except for this very unusual time period, the foreign-born population has not grown by more than four million in a 33-month period going back to at least 1994. The BLS reports that response rates to the CPS after March 2020 were lower than prior to Covid-19, though rates have improved since hitting a low in June 2020. These lower rates increase the sampling error of the survey. However, in June 2020, when the problem was most pronounced, BLS stated that “Although the response rate was adversely affected by pandemic-related issues, BLS was still able to obtain estimates that met our standards for accuracy and reliability.” This is in contrast to the 2020 American Community Survey, which is the other large survey collected by the Census Bureau that identifies the foreign-born. The problems with that survey were such that the bureau stated that the 2020 ACS did not meet their quality standards.

4 The ACS does give us individual year of arrival data for 2020, based on the 2021 data, and it shows 695,000 immigrants arrived in that year. See Figure 1 in a prior CIS report.

5 See prior end note for figure showing number of new arrivals each year based on the American Community Survey.

6 Assuming 5.6 million arrivals from January 2021 to October 2023, and growth of 4.5 million, then the difference of 1.1 million might be seen as the level of outmigration. But we must also take into account deaths of 790,000 over this time period among the existing immigrant population. This would imply only 300,000 immigrants left between January 2021 and October 2023. This seems implausible. Prior to Covid-19, outmigration had been estimated at several times this amount using other Census Bureau data. Even if Covid-19 and subsequent Biden administration policies caused many more people to stay in the country than otherwise would have been the case, it seems extremely unlikely that outmigration could have fallen to such a low level.

7 The total foreign-born population in the CPS is a much more statistically robust number because it is based on the larger sample of all immigrants, not the smaller share who are newcomers. One other factor to keep in mind about new arrivals is that it does not include those who came in 2021, 2022, or earlier in 2023 and left the country or passed away before October 2023. The 5.6 million represents only those who were in the country in October 2023 and came in the prior 2.75 years.

8 The average increase for Obama’s first term reflects growth in the foreign-born population between January 2009 and December 2012 of 2.76 million, divided by 47 months to reflect the changes that occurred after January 2009 when he took office. (Although each presidential term lasts 48 months, there are only 47 monthly changes in the data in a single term, unless we count the change from the December before an administration begins to January of the next year when they take office.) The average increase for Obama’s second term reflects growth in the foreign-born population between January 2013 and December 2016 of 3.56 million divided by 47 months. For Trump’s term before Covid, the average increase reflects growth in the foreign-born population between January 2017 and February 2020 (before Covid-19) of 1.57 million divided by 37 months. We chose February 2020 to reflect pre-Covid growth in the foreign-born population because Covid lockdowns did not begin until March of that year. For Biden, the average reflects growth in the foreign-born population between January 2021 and October 2023 of 4.53 million divided by 33 months. Of course, adding one additional month to each presidency would produce very similar results for each administration. So for example if we divided by 48 months for each of Obama’s terms it would show 57,000 for his first term, and 74,000 for his second, which is very similar to the 59,000 and 76,000 when we divide by 47 months for each term. If we divide Trump’s pre-Covid time in office by 38 months we get average growth per month of 41,000 compared to 42,000 if we divided by 37 months. For President Biden, if we divide by 34 months we get an average monthly increase of 133,000 rather than 137,000 if we use 33 months.

9 We define regions in the following matter: East Asia: China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Asia NEC/NS (Not elsewhere classified or not specified); Indian Subcontinent: India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal; Middle East: Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Kuwait, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Northern Africa, Egypt/United Arab Rep., Morocco, Algeria, Sudan, Libya, and Middle East NS; Sub-Saharan Africa: Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Togo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa (Union of), Zaire, Congo, Zambia, and Africa NS/NEC. Unless otherwise specified; Europe: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Azores, Spain, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Other USSR/Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, USSR NS, Cyprus, Armenia, Georgia, and Europe NS; Oceania/Elsewhere: Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Other, NEC, North America NS, Canada, Americas NS/NEC and unknown; Central America: Belize/British Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Central America NS.; Caribbean: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Caribbean NS; South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana/British Guiana, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Paraguay, and South America NS.

10 The CPS does not include the institutionalized population, which is included in the decennial census and American Community Survey (ACS). The institutionalized are primarily those in nursing homes and prisons. We can gauge the impact of including the institutionalized when calculating the foreign-born percentage by looking at the public-use 2021 ACS, which shows that when those in institutions are excluded it lowers the foreign-born share of the population by less than one-tenth of 1 percent. This is because immigrants are in the institutionalized population but are a lower share of it than they are of the non-institutionalized. The distribution of immigrants in the institutionalized and non-institutionalized population changes very little from year to year, so the foreign-born share of the population in October 2023 might have been roughly one-tenth of 1 percent lower if the institutionalized were included. But 14.9 percent would still be a new record high. Also, the margin of error for the foreign-born share of the population is ± 0.2 percent assuming a 90 percent confidence level. So it is possible that the foreign-born share in October of this year is 14.7 percent if one assumes the lower bound of the confidence interval. This would be just below the 14.77 percent in 1890, which likely had some error that is lost to history. That said, the 15 percent foreign-born share in October of this year is still the largest share ever recorded by any U.S. government census or survey.

11 When considering the impact of immigration on the country, the foreign-born share may seem like the only factor that matters. While percentages are important, the absolute size matters as well. For example, when thinking about the successful integration of immigrants, 500,000 foreign-language speakers may be enough to create linguistic and cultural enclaves, whether this 500,000 constitutes 10 percent of an urban area or 30 percent.

12 ”Nationwide Encounters”, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

13 Former immigration judge and Resident Fellow in Law and Policy at the Center for Immigration Studies Andrew Arthur has estimated this number based on information released by DHS to comply with a disclosure order in Texas v. Biden (Northern District of Texas, Amarillo Division, Case No. 2:21-cv-00067-Z) as well as limited information at the CBP “Custody and Transfer Statistics” web page, and ICE’s “Detention Management” web page. For a detailed discussion on the number of inadmissible aliens released into the United States based on the available information, see Andrew Arthur, “It’s No Secret — Biden’s Hiding Bad Border Numbers”, Center for Immigration Studies blog, September 1, 2023.

14 For a contrast with the current numbers, see Table 2b in the “Border Security Metrics Report: 2022”, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, July 3, 2023.

15 “Border officials count 599,000 'got-away' migrants in Fiscal Year 2022”, Fox News October 2, 2022; Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, May 11, 2023.

16 See Figure 20 on p. 20 in the PDF document, “ICE Annual Report Fiscal Year 2022”.

17 “Fiscal Year 2022 Entry/Exit Overstay Report”, Department of Homeland Security, June 2022.

18 For additional discussion about placing the FY2022 report in context, see “DHS Reports Record Number of Overstays in 2022”, Jessica M. Vaughan, Center for Immigration Studies, June 23, 2023.

19 “Legal Immigration and Adjustment of Status Report Quarterly Data”, Office of Immigration Statistics.

20 The State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website on “Monthly Immigrant Visa Issuance Statistics” shows that the number of new legal immigrants issued a visa abroad quickly returned to pre-pandemic levels and now exceeds those levels. The Refugee Processing Center’s website shows the same thing.

21 In addition to IRCA, Section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) allows individuals who have lived in the United States since January 1972 to apply for lawful permanent residency under what is often referred to as the “registry provision” of the law. This provision also makes it very unlikely that there are substantial numbers of pre-1980 illegal immigrants in the country.

22 The individual countries listed by The Department of Homeland Security, which covers only 80 percent of their estimates, show that 69 percent of illegal immigrants are from Latin America. See Table 2 in “Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2015–January 2018”, Bryan Baker, Office of Immigration Statistics. The Center for Migration Studies estimates that slightly more than three-quarters of all illegal immigrants come from Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. The Migration Policy Institute estimates 71 percent of illegal immigrants are from Latin American countries based on the countries for which they report separate estimates. See Table 1 in “Turning Point for the Unauthorized Immigrant Population in the United States”, Jennifer Van Hook, Julia Gelatt, and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, MPI. Pew Research estimates that 77 percent of illegal immigrants are from Latin America.

23 While many new non-citizens from Latin America entered over this time, these new arrivals were offset by outmigration and natural mortality. In addition, large numbers of legal immigrants from this region were naturalized and thereby “left” the non-citizen population.

24 The Migration Policy Institute has figures from all of these organizations as part of its latest estimates.

25 In our commentary on the new projections, we pointed out that the level of net migration implied by a year-over-year comparison of the foreign-born in both the CPS or even the ACS, which shows less growth, still indicate that the level of net migration is much higher than the Census Bureau is using in its new population projections. Net migration of the foreign-born can be calculated simply by looking at growth in the immigrant population year-over-year and then adding in deaths. For example, the largest Census Bureau Survey is the American Community Survey (ACS), which we discuss later in this report in more detail. It shows an increase of about 900,000 between 2021 and 2022, which implies net migration of 1.2 million once mortality is taken into account. This is still much larger than the 850,000 that the bureau is assuming in its projections. The Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC), which we also discuss later in this report, shows an increase of two million between March 2022 and March 2023, which implies net annual migration of about 2.3 million immigrants when mortality is taken into account. The CPS ASEC is similar to the monthly CPS so it is not surprising that the two surveys show similar levels of net migration. One caveat about these migration numbers: The Census Bureau concept of net international migration used in its population projections includes U.S.-born residents coming and going from the country. However, by far the biggest source of change in net migration is among the foreign-born. Typically, the net migration of U.S. natives is roughly balanced each year.

26 See Excel Table np2023-t8 entitled “Projected Population by Nativity” on the Census Bureau’s projections page for the projected size of the foreign-born and the foreign-born share of the total population under the main series projections, “2023 Population Projections for the Nation by Age, Sex, Race, Hispanic Origin and Nativity”.

27 The population estimates reflect the population in July of each year and are issued at the end of the same calendar year. Thus, the ACS weights, which also reflect the population in July of each year, basically match the population estimates for that year. However, because the monthly CPS is available almost immediately each month starting in January, it has to be weighted based on what are, in effect, preliminary population estimates that are then carried forward until the following January, when the data is then readjusted.

28 In a 2019 publication we compared the CPS Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) to the ACS. The CPS ASEC, or simply ASEC, includes the March CPS and an oversample of minorities. It also asks many additional questions and is the source for poverty rates and health insurance coverage. Unfortunately, like the ACS, the ASEC is available only once a year, about half a year after it is collected. Like the monthly CPS, the ASEC consistently produced lower foreign-born estimates than the ACS until 2018. Since then it has generally produced higher estimates, even though, like the monthly CPS, it does not include the institutionalized and so should produce slightly lower estimates than the ACS. The ASEC should also show a slightly lower foreign-born population because it reflects the population in March of each year, not July like the ACS. Although we outline some of the most important methodological differences between the ASEC and the ACS in our 2019 discussion, then as now we are not able to explain why the ACS stopped producing larger estimates of immigrants relative to the ASEC or the monthly CPS.

29 One of the reasons the 2022 ACS shows a seemingly low number of total foreign-born is that the public-use ACS shows only 1.46 million arrivals for all of 2021, which appears too low given all that has been happening.

30 Most of the differences between the two surveys have existed since 2006, when the ACS was fully implemented. This makes it less likely that they explain why the ACS no longer shows a larger foreign-born.

Source: https://cis.org/Report/October-2023-ForeignBorn-Share-Was-Highest-History

[ruiconteur]

re: prev post ik i'm constantly bitching about official subs but tbh given the shit circumstances official subtitlers have to deal with they're alr doing a decent job. netflix caps the cps rate for adult shows at 20 and there's no way in hell i could possibly adhere to that with my subs lol (i cap mine at 30 which is alr enough of a pain). idk what iqiyi subtitlers have to deal with but it seems like there are multiple of them working on different episodes at once and they don't communicate with each other so i'm honestly not surprised the subs are Like That. who knows if they're even allowed to watch the show in full before they have to subtitle it too?? which i can tell you has a huge impact on the quality of your translation. anyway all this to say that when i bitch about subs i'm bitching about the company not the subtitlers bc those ppl alr get enough shit

[probyte]

Linux, the development environment par excellence

Why do all administrations, governments, and sensitive institutions use Linux distributions, not Windows or Mac? Because they are much more secure, much more configurable, and much more efficient. And it's not over; with the arrival of autonomous cars and mass-connected objects, Linux has a bright future ahead of it!

What is Linux?

Most often, Linux means an operating system. It is an improper shortcut that serves to democratize it for neophytes.

In fact, Linux is just a kernel. A kernel ( kernel ) is the part that manages all the resources of a machine and allows the components to communicate with each other. The term kernel actually comes from a metaphor for a nut with the kernel (kernel) and the shell (shell). The shell is an operating system program that allows you to interact with the kernel. It will parse, translate and execute them by sending instructions to the kernel.

The kernel is the heart of the operating system, allowing all physical components (CPU, RAM, graphics card, etc.) or software (GUI, drivers, programs, etc.) to communicate. It also allows one to manage multi-tasking (several programs running simultaneously). If you want to learn linux howto commands, you can learn them online.

You must know that chmod, cp, ls, mkdir, mv, rm, and all the commands you know are linux commands from this library.

Linux's most popular distributions

As of 2020, there were over 300 active GNU/Linux distributions (the development continues). A distribution comes from software distribution and means a collection of software.

The three most used distributions are Ubuntu (about 45% of servers), CentOS (about 18%), and Debian (also about 18%). The most used paid distribution is Red Hat Enterprise Linux (REHL) which would represent approximately 2% of the servers.

The Debiandistro

Debian is the main project with over 500 million lines of code. Yes, you read correctly; it represents a titanic human effort to arrive at a stable, efficient, and secure system. The Debian distribution is non-commercial because a non-profit organization publishes it, and committees of voluntary contributors, therefore, make the choices.

You can use several libraries from this distribution (via Ubuntu), such as the famous package manager APT ( advanced packaging tool ).

The current Debian distribution contains about 60,000 software with, for example, Linux, apt, python, nginx proxy, GNOME, and LibreOffice.

The Ubuntu distro

The Ubuntu distribution, like the Linux Mint distribution, are sub-distributions of Debian. This is the most widely used distribution for both servers and desktops.

It is a so-called commercial distribution because it is distributed by the Canonical company, which sells licenses for business versions and, above all, support.

Its development began in 2006 and is still very active today. Ubuntu comes from African culture (Canonical is a company from South Africa). It is a term that means humanity or generosity.

Ubuntu is said to be simpler and easier for beginners, and Debian is said to be more secure and capable. It is one of the most used enterprise distributions, along with CentOS and Fedora.

Conclusion

Now you have a clear vision of the environment: when you use ubuntu in the desktop version, you actually use several thousand free projects (or at least open source) comprising more than a billion lines of code.

[veneratechnologies]

Caption/Subtitle QC vs. Authoring

The presence of captions and subtitles with digital media files has become more prominent and nearly universal. We often see content creators and distributors contemplate the difference between a Caption Authoring system and a Caption/Subtitle QC system and whether they are both needed. So, we thought it is worthwhile to clarify and differentiate the role each software category provides.

Caption/Subtitle Authoring and Caption/Subtitle QC remain two separate and distinct activities. While caption authoring is used to create captions and subtitles, caption QC is an increasingly important part of any caption/subtitle workflow in order to ensure the optimum end-user experience when viewing captions. The caption QC until recently, had remained a time-consuming and resource intensive manual process. The advent of advanced and automated caption QC software, such as CapMate from Venera Technologies, is now providing a logical alternative to the tedious manual caption QC process, allowing automation of a large portion of this process.

To further clarify and differentiate between caption authoring tools and caption QC tools, we will examine some scenarios to help you appreciate the importance of specialized caption QC systems.

Caption/Subtitle Creation

A common authoring system will let you generate raw captions using ASR (Automated Speech Recognition) technology that provides the first draft of the captions. An operator is required to then add the captions missed by the ASR technology and properly align/format all the captions as needed. Authoring systems may provide basic measurements such as CPS (Characters Per Second), WPM (Words Per Minutes) and CPL (Characters Per Line) that will allow you to rectify the basic ‘timing’ issues. Since the raw captions are generated by the tool itself, they are expected to be aligned with the converted audio. However, the responsibility of aligning any new captions you add lies with you. Authoring tools probably can not provide any analysis capabilities for sync issues on the user added segments. Another common requirement is to ensure that the captions are not placed on top of burnt-in text in the video. Again, you will have to manually ensure that no such overlapping sections exist in the video and an operator will have to watch the entire video content in order to ensure this. The full review of the caption/video is similarly required for many other common issues.

So, while an authoring system allows you to create, edit and format your captions efficiently, it usually doesn’t provide rich analysis capabilities to QC the captions. The responsibility of detecting basic issues and correcting them lies with you.

Caption/Subtitle Compliance

Let’s take this a step further. In today’s world, ensuring the basic sanity of captions is not enough. Every major broadcaster or OTT service provider or educational content provider has its own technical specifications for the captions it requires. There can be many such requirements, a few of which are as follows: – Max number of lines of caption per screen. – Minimum and Maximum duration of each caption. – Captions sync aligned with audio to a maximum specified sub-second threshold. – All captions to be placed at the bottom third of the screen, while avoiding burnt-in text overlay. In case of overlap, another position may be used. – Detection of profanity (words defined by the user to be unacceptable) – Spelling checks.

Caption/Subtitle Editing

So far, we have discussed only the Caption creation scenario. However, a lot of times, an existing caption file needs to be repurposed because of editing in the audio-visual content. Such changes can include the addition of certain video segments, removal of segments, changing caption location based on customer guidelines, or frame rate changes. We have encountered many cases where the customers have been trying to use the original captions with such edited content, which leads to a lot of issues. Detecting and correcting such issues manually can be time-consuming and resource intensive. Since authoring tools do not usually provide auto-analysis capabilities, they can’t help with the detection of such issues. The only way you can use caption authoring systems in this case is to use their user interface and detect/correct such issues manually.

Any compromise in this manual process will lead to missed issues in the content delivered to the customers/content owner. This will effectively mean multiple iterations, causing further delays and affecting customer satisfaction before the captions are accepted by the customer.

This is where the caption QC tools come in. Caption QC systems address these issues head-on by performing auto-detection (and in case of advanced systems like CapMate, auto-correction) for a wide-range of caption issues. With configurable QC templates, you can set up the checks you needed, define the acceptable thresholds, and let the system do its job. Since the aim of such systems is the analysis, the entire interface is designed to make the analysis and spotting quick & efficient. You only need to act upon the issues reported by the caption QC system. An intelligent caption QC system such as CapMate also provides features to automatically correct many of the issues found, as well as a rich review/editing tool, using which you can easily browse through the reported issues and make the appropriate manual corrections efficiently. They no longer need to watch the entire content.

Not using captions QC tools means that the responsibility of detecting and correcting all captions issues lies with you, which is time-consuming and resource intensive, not to mention error-prone.

While it is understood that the concept of ‘Automated Captions QC & Correction’ is relatively new but adopting such a system can lead to significant business benefits. Our customers who have adopted the use of CapMate into their workflow are benefiting from the efficiencies gained in their caption QC operations from the insights provided by the tool along with its auto-correction abilities.

In conclusion, Caption QC and Caption Authoring tools serve different and complimentary purposes in the caption workflow operation and do their respective jobs in an excellent manner. While Caption QC tools are not intended for caption authoring, Caption Authoring tools are also not well-suited, nor are they intended, for efficient caption QC process. Using both tools judiciously in a workflow can lead to higher quality caption deliveries with more efficient use of the experienced QC operators.

About CapMate™

CapMate™ is a Cloud Native SaaS service for Captions/Subtitles QC and Correction. Whether you are a Captioning service provider, OTT service provider, Broadcaster or a Captioning platform, CapMate can significantly improve your workflow efficiency with its automatic analysis, rich review, spotting, and correction capabilities. Once completed, you can export the finished captions for direct use in production.

Get in touch with us today and we would love to discuss with you how we can help you solve your content QC challenges efficiently!

This content first appeared here on: https://www.veneratech.com/caption-subtitle-qc-vs-authoring/

[iammionmi]

Don't you look at me in that tone of voice!

Firstly, for anyone who caught yesterday's little offering.....hi! I made it, here I am, Mrs Consistency in the making!

Just needed to get that one out there before diving into musing on a topic/subject/lesson which has been preoccupying me for some time, namely acceptance. Outrageous Acceptance.

I know, I know....but please don't look at me like it's a dirty word, because as uncomfortable as this one is, it can be all the difference. It can be the deciding factor in one's future, one's happiness, one's ability to face the world and keep going.

The problem is that acceptance is one of those character traits that is developed by, well, by enduring those 'character-building' trials and tribulations that make acceptance necessary!

....which means that the development of OUTRAGEOUS ACCEPTANCE has necessitated a whole load of unacceptable things to happen in my life to teach me depth upon depth of how acceptance goes.

and in my opinion that sucks. big time! What perhaps sucks more is that my reluctance to accept certain things in my life has only prolonged the misery and that if I had maybe managed to integrate this life lesson in a more timely manner, I wouldn't be sitting here having just turned 40, once again reassessing the derelict landscape following my previous attempt at building a life being razed to the ground. yet again.

You see, I have been here, or somewhere like it more times than I care to think about.....there is far too much to go into and this list is far from exhaustive, just to give you a flavour of my adult life really....from my first domestic violence relationship when I was 17, having my first child born 12 weeks premature due to the violence within that relationship at 18 all the way through failed marriages (3), depression, PTSD, loss of career due to an accident at work injuring my back, domestic violence again 2017-2020 where I was kept in sub human conditions like an animal, and yet again 2021 a brief but terrifyingly violent relationship which also cost me thousands through financial abuse, I have lost my house, my car, my money, my career (debatably my sanity!), am still awaiting CPS clearance to prosecute my ex for the violence in 2021, have had businesses fail, every attempt to re-invent myself or better myself has come to nothing, have had various health complications to deal with and have single parented for most of the 21 years I have been a parent and I have never been an adult without being a parent (my first child is now 21, my two at home are 10 & 11),now suffer from complexPTSD and other trauma issues ....and that's just a fraction of things. I used to drive myself to distraction with how unjust and unfair it was that i was just having to repeatedly suck up things that were unacceptable. That no one would be ok with.....because they're not OK.

SO what's with the acceptance thing? I have been told repeatedly that acceptance (much like forgiveness) is not saying that what happened is OK......so why does it seem like that's pretty much EXACTLY what is being asked of oneself if one is to accept unacceptable circumstance or incidents.

but it's not. I know that now....and this is what makes the kind of OUTRAGEOUS acceptance i find myself practicing today, possible. Acceptance is not saying that what happened is OK. It IS saying that It Happened.

It Happened. That is the reality, nothing and no one can ever change that no matter how much I, or anyone else, may want to. Nothing can make it better because nothing can make it not have happened...i may have ideas of what I think might make it more bearable, might fantasise about how things might have gone, or how a need for validation might be met to help with closure, but nothing can change that it happened. that didn't stop me putting a whole load of time and energy into doing anything and everything I could possibly think of to try to make things be different....or at least not allow them to be real.

sometimes there is no closure, sometimes there is no validation, sometimes it really is a total loss. sometimes all that energy and upset has to be reabsorbed within oneself, and one just has to sit with it. to keep on sitting with it.

in those moments outrageous acceptance is born. acceptance that all that is is, and all that is not is not. no attempt, no desire even, to try to seek relief through the validation of others/the justice system/sweet revenge.

Just a deep knowing that what will come, will come; that what will go, will go: and that after it all I will still be.

...and that will do for me.

[fluent-in-lesbianism]

Hey, I know you work with CPS, and I was hoping you could help with something. I work in administration at a state-funded company that rehabilitates wards of the state. I recently found out that one of our staff hit a child, then followed them to their bedroom and closed the door. They were alone for approximately 30 minutes, and the client showed another staff the handprint left on his leg (from the slap). That happened last month, and then a couple days ago, it allegedly happened again (I was not there, I'm in the office) but another client reported it to the manager.

I was furious, because he wasn't punished, our VP said "kids exaggerate all the time" and wrote it off. Since I'm a mandated reporter and NO ONE ELSE wanted to do anything, I filed a report last night. Someone from CPS/the state showed up this morning and the office has been a shitshow since. They're being secretive and won't make eye contact. I think they know it was me, and my boss had been talking to lawyers all day - she's very into firing people.

Do you know what generally happens after someone makes a report, and what businesses end up doing, if they're involved? If you don't know, that's totally fine! I've just never been in this situation before and would appreciate any info!

Every state's policies regarding out-of-home investigations and mandated reporters are different. My state might handle cases similar to yours differently than where you are.

How-fucking-ever:

This is a case all day long, no matter which state you're in, due to the fact that this is a facility caring for children.

The perpetrator should've been put on suspension, a police report made by your bosses, and a CPS report called in the second ANYONE on staff heard about it or saw the marks. Everyone working at your facility is considered a mandated reporter. It doesn't matter if they're unlicensed, sub-contracted, or just a volunteer. If you work with or around children in any capacity, you're a mandated reporter. Full stop. No exceptions.

So your VP should've filed the CPS report. The staff member the child showed the handprint to should've filed the CPS report. The manager should've filed the CPS report. The fact that it sounds like it went through multiple staff members before it even reached you, is ridiculously outside of federal policy. You did exactly what you were supposed to do, anon. You did good!

But, anyway. Once a report is filed with CPS, a caseworker will make contact with the victim, interview the perpetrator, follow-up with the reporter (aka you), interview any witnesses to the events, view the camera footage, make contact with the police, send the child off for a forensic interview, speak to the higher ups about why it took so long for a report to be made, etc. Once there is enough evidence to support the allegation, the employee should be fired since they no longer qualify for their position (You're not allowed to work with kids if you have Indicated CPS history as the perpetrator).

What will NOT happen is your boss knowing you filed the report (unless you tell them). Mandated reporter identities are treated the same as anonymous reports when it comes to keeping it from the families/staff. The only reason we ask for your name, title, and agency is to provide proof for a judge or state reviewer that you fulfilled the mandated reporter requirements. A CPS worker revealing the identity of a reporter (except when court ordered) is actually punishable by immediate termination, jail time, and like a bajillion dollar fine. So if your bosses try to lie and say they know you made the report, don't confirm anything. They don't know, and they never will. Not even their lawyers have access to that information.

And since you are a mandated reporter, you're actually protected by law from any retaliatory actions (termination, write ups, inappropriate remarks, intimidation, etc.). If at any point in time you feel like your bosses, or any staff member, retaliated against you because you allegedly filed the report, then you can file a complaint with the EEOC and get 👏🏻your 👏🏻money 👏🏻

[hardtchill]

Not that I'm invested in it, but just wanna drop this in case I'm right lol i think tobin might extend another year at arsenal. I mean she likes it here, and arsenal set up allows her to come as super sub or at least manage her minutes. She almost already won it all (wc, gold medal) and as a player of her caliber, most likely she would want to take another shot at champions league. Tobin and CP seem like level headed ppl and they still got a whole ass life ahead of them and a company to run together so there's no rush to compromise anything now.

I mean, that's assuming Arsenal will offer her another contract or use the +1 option.