butterflykisses427's Blog

 I found this on yahoo news

U.S. sports agent gets prison for smuggling Cubans

By Laura Myers

KEY WEST, Florida (Reuters) - A federal judge sentenced U.S. sports agent Gustavo "Gus" Dominguez to five years in prison on Monday for smuggling potential major-league baseball players out of Cuba. U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore ordered the prison term for Dominguez, the 48-year-old co-founder of California-based Total Sports International Inc. Dominguez, who has represented dozens of Cuban defectors and other major league players, was convicted in April of smuggling five prospects out of Cuba to the Florida Keys and then on to California, where he shopped them to potential teams. The case was believed to be the first directly linking smuggling with the business of baseball, which is Cuba's national sport as well as the traditional U.S. national pastime. In addition to five years behind bars, the judge ordered Dominguez to serve two years probation and to pay a $2,100 fine. Defense attorneys J. Stephen Salter and Ben Kuehne, pleading for leniency, had earlier cited scores of letters, including one written by Hall of Fame pitching great Sandy Koufax, supporting Dominguez. "I have always considered Gus to be a person of strong character and high moral principles. He has an unshakable love for his culture and does his best to serve as a role model to the players he represents, especially Latin players," Koufax wrote to Moore.

I just read on the home page of myfoxcleveland that a female substitute teacher was sentenced to three days in jail, six months house arrest, and five years probation for having an affair with a 17 year old boy whom she also got pregnant by. 

If this teacher in question was a man who has sex with a female student and gotten her pregnant he would have been sent to prison and been put on the sex offender list. I am personally disgusted by the double standard there is. 

Irregardless of whether or not the sex was consensual any male or female teacher who has an affair with an under age student has both committed the same crime. Except it seems that woman get off with a lighter sentence. It is a horrible double standard. I think she deserved to be punished as a male teacher would have. The judge decided not to send her to prison because she has kids (two others and the one she had with the student). Personally these children are better off without a mother like that but that is my two cents.

My first job was a cashier at Wal-Mart at the age of 17. Since then I have worked as a cashier at three more retail stores. I have to say I am appalled by the lack of customer service from places lately. I try my best to be helpful and open to my customers. I am not going to say I don't have my bad days but I do my best to provide customers with the best customer service.

Case in point. A few days ago I was in Giant Eagle. The cashier in question was very rude. First she took a moment to have a small personal conversation with a co worker. Had nothing of importance to her job as a cashier. I'm sitting there waiting impatiently for a minute or two waiting for her to start ringing me out. Also keep in mind there were at least two or three other people behind me. Finally I interrupted the conversation. There was no greeting or have a nice day. Just an announcement of my total and my change. I was appalled. Now don't get me wrong I chit chat with my fellow co workers but once I have a customer walk up to my counter any conversation is halted.

Now let's flash to today's episode at Wal-Mart. First off the lady in front of me needed a price check. The cashier was just sitting there waiting for the worker in the department to call her back. She didn't attempt to call a manager on duty. She told the head cashier but she was useless. If that was me I would have used every resource possible to get the price check as quick as possible. If the difference was only a dollar or two I would have just given her it. Not to mention the cashier never greeted me, slow as all get up, and was tying my bags up (hello makes it hard to use the handles).

 There are many more instances that are just as appalling. This is why I generally make use of the self check out. The standards stores have for customer service now a days are bad. They seem to forget that if you do not have any customers you won't have a job. I know working with the public can be tough but it is still a job you choose and you should do it to the best of your abilities and with some pride. I don't know if it is my experience as a cashier that makes me very pick y about service or what.

I don't see the big deal about breathalyzers. Like the principal said if it saves a few lives then it is worth it. Also if you are doing what you are suppose to (i.e. no under age drinking) taking a quick a test should be no big deal. I find the ones that make the biggest fuss about these kind of things or get all bent out of shape about being checked upon are the ones who are up to no good or are planning on doing what they are not suppose to anyway.

Drinking and prom is a big deal. I remember when I was in high school around prom time they would get people to sign Prom Promises (I signed them every year even though the first three I didn't go because of the nifty pens they give you). It was basically a promise that you would not drink and drive on prom night. If I remember correctly if you were killed in a drunk driving accident and no alcohol was found in your system, SADD or MADD would pay for your funeral costs.

I know my high school PTA hosted an after prom party after prom. Ran completely by parent volunteers who watched us (teachers watched us at prom). It was a big part of prom. This was to encourage us to not drink. It wasn't lame either. There was food and drinks. We had karaoke. Also there was an area where you played games for paper money. The paper money was traded in for tickets to be put into a raffle. Some people did leave early but the good majority of us stayed behind to see if they won a prize. There were door prizes. The prizes were pretty good too. I got a door prize of good shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. My tickets had won me a playstation 1. My friend won a tv.

In short our school provided for us a great time so that we didn't hurt ourselves. Those students need to realize that their school has their best interest at heart and if they are not doing something they shouldn't be then it is no big deal.

Even though I am pro choice, I am glad partial birth abortions are banned. I still think there should have been a loop hole for medical reasons thought.

I find that anyone who willing gets a partial birth abortion without a medical reason disgusting. You had a whole trimester (three whole months) to decide whether or not you want to carry a child to term or not. Partial birth abortions are just down right awful. At this point a mother should have to carry the fetus to term (unless medical reasons as stated before) and then give the child up for adoption.

The only worry I have about this ban is what it will do to Roe vs. Wade. I still don't think abortions should be banned completely. I guess time will tell

 

Yesterday's story about forcing women who are getting abortions to look at the ultrasound of their fetus made me start to think about our adoption system. I'm not touching abortion that is just opening up a can of worms I don't want to open up. That is just one of those situations where people will never agree on.

Anyway I digress. One of the arguments says that women should think of adoption but is adoption really a great option for mom's who can't or don't want to raise a child. Our adoption system is horrible. It is easier for a couple to adopt a child from a foreign country than in our own!

More and more children are not adopted and are stuck in a children's home or a foster care (which at anytime they can be reassigned). And with the recent light on the Gravelle case our foster care system is messed up.

I know some people who have had good experience with adoption either as the child or the parent but it hasn't even been in the last decade that the adoption happened. Is adoption even worth it anymore? What are your opinions?

 

Watching the news this morning Plain Local Schools close their schools down today. Was it the weather? Illness? No heat? No the superintendent shut the schools down for the day because their basketball team made it to state. They are playing in Columbus tonight. Apparently they shut school down so people can go.

I have to say I am highly disappointed in Plain Local Schools for shutting school down for such a reason. Those emergency days are there for a reason. Not to shut school down because of a sports event. People might argue that "Well they can make the day up at the end of the year". I say that is not the point. School is there for education. Children are learning to read, write, and become productive members of society. Sports are there for extra curricular activities. It gives the kids something fun to participate in but to dictate whether or not a school is in session because of a game.

Now I'm not trying to knock the basketball teams achievement. They should be proud of what they have done. Still we are a sports obsessed culture to the point that now we are calling off school so people can attend a sports event.

If I was a parent of Plain Local Schools I would seriously consider pulling my child(ren) out of their district. A move like this would make me worry about weather or not the district has my child(ren)'s education as their primary interest. Call me hysterical, say I'm over reacting, but I stand by my opinion. We do not place enough emphasis on education. This is why countries like China, Japan, and many more has educational systems that far surpass our own.

 

    Alright using Mayor Frank Jackson's logic (by passing a blanket law over the gun issue being unconstitutional because local governments can't pass their own laws) the smoking ban is unconstitutional as well. It is a blanket law covering the whole state of Ohio that prevents local governments from passing its own laws on it. 

     I agree we need a blanket law covering the whole state of Ohio but it needs to meet the highest needs of the most dangerous cities. As far as the whole concealed carry thing. People who use guns illegally (i.e. murder) are not going to get the permits. They won't care about gun laws and permits and things like that. They will get their hands on a gun and carry it concealed regardless. Your average law abiding citizen who goes out and takes the classes and gets the permit are not going to go out and shoot someone (there are probably exceptions). The ones who don't hesitate to kill are not worried about some gun law. Just my two cents

This may sound insensitive but here is my rant on researchers of SIDS. Every few months they have some new "way" to "prevent" SIDS. Like today's story the connection between SIDS and a pacifier. They claim it is a connection. I say coincidence. Lets take a moment to define SIDS. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome a syndrome in which the infant dies without any reason what so ever. If they knew what caused SIDS it wouldn't be called SIDS. All this petty research is a waste of time and only serves to add more worry to a mother. 

Hey researchers when you actually have something viable about SIDS instead of circumstantial evidence give the news stations a ring. Let us be honest you have no clue what causes or prevents SIDS.