At the various Civil Registry offices, the books recording births and deaths are tomes of damaged paper, uncared for and tossed into the corners of offices in which the personnel perform their duties on obsolete typewriters. In Bani, there are 12 employees documenting official birth and death certificates on three, old manual typewriters, as others dig through the dog-eared registry ledgers, some held together with hemp rope, rubber bands and string. During the peak periods of June and September – when the demand for birth certificates is highest due to scholastic requirements ? the registry offices of the major cities may see as many as 300-400 people a day. Another interesting piece of data: The employees of the Civil Registry are not paid by the central government, but rather by the local Civil Registry director who, in turn, must use the cash flow generated by the certificates to pay the employees. Lawyers, neighbors and other sources told the Listin Diario reporters that birth, death and marriage certificates are routinely bought and sold, as are the corrections of these official certificates. Local civilian judges of the registry offices told the Listin reporters that cases such as those that have occurred in the Central Office of the Civil Registry in Santo Domingo would be impossible to pull off in their offices, since they are routinely inspected by personnel from the JCE, as well as by the Spanish and American embassies. Baseball players are especially scrutinized by consular officials, who personally examine the birth certificates and other documents presented at the visa interview.