Gov. Ernie Fletcher’s administration is taking some heat over the firing of three seasonal park workers who didn’t abide by the state’s dress code. But similar situations are unlikely to arise in local governments and schools, because no similarly restrictive and specific policies exist.
About two weeks ago, state Park Commissioner George Ward circulated the policy banning visible tattoos, long hair on men, body piercing (except for limited ear piercings on women) and untucked shirts.
The next day, General Burnside Island State Park employees Bill Leslie, 61, Genell Roberts, 32, and Sandra Dale, 33, were fired. Leslie, a Vietnam veteran, has tattoos on his legs and forearms, Dale has multiple ear piercings, and all three refused to tuck in their shirts, reports said.
Warren County Deputy Judge-Executive Marie Smith searched through the county’s personnel policy, but found nothing in local regulations regarding tattoos, piercings or hair length.
“We don’t have a dress code as such, but it’s up to the department heads to maintain their departments in an efficient and professional manner,” she said.
The county assigns uniforms to most of its employees, Smith said. But uniformed or not, disputes over employees’ appearance have not been an issue for the county.
“We have never had any problem with that, to my knowledge,” she said.
The situation is similar in Bowling Green city government, according to Michele Tolbert, city Human Resources director.
“The only department that has any kind of standards as far as dress or tattoos or whatever would be our public safety department,” she said. “Of course, here at the city there is the expectation of professional appearance, because we do serve the public.”
Each department head can determine what is or is not appropriate, Tolbert said. But such issues are usually a matter of safety, such as requiring long pants when using a line trimmer.
“We’ve really not run into any issues with any outlandish dress,” she said. “Fortunately, our employees are very conscientious about their appearance to the public.”
Employees of Bowling Green Independent Schools don’t seem to have trouble abiding by an unwritten code of professionalism, said Rhonda Counts, secretary to the superintendent.
“We do not have dress codes,” she said. “We’re just expected to dress professionally.”
Don Sergent, public relations coordinator for Warren County Schools, also could not recall any issues with personal appearance among county school employees.
“It’s never been an issue with us, and we really don’t have a set policy on that,” he said.
Many private companies do set dress and appearance codes, but they usually are specific and clear enough to withstand challenge, said attorney Regina Jackson of the Bowling Green firm of English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley.
“As long as there’s a reasonable rationale for a rule, be it dress code or otherwise, it’s likely to be enforceable,” she said.
Factories often prohibit loose clothing or dangling jewelry around machines, Jackson said.
“In my experience, they are enacted by companies to protect the safety of the employees,” she said.
Appearance codes, governing employees’ presentation to the public (such as hair length, piercings and tattoos), also seem to be standard enough in the private sector that they don’t rise to the status of legal dispute – at least, Jackson hasn’t encountered such cases, she said.
“It does not seem to be an issue that arises frequently,” Jackson said. “And if it is arising, they are handling it informally and resolving it.”
The state’s firing was much more public. The termination of the three prompted their supervisor John Troxell to resign in protest.
The workers were seasonal employees, working from early March through late October for about $6.30 an hour. They cleaned bathrooms, cut grass and performed other menial labor.
Fletcher said last week he stood by the dismissals. He said many private companies have dress codes, and the department is trying to follow good business practices. A department spokesman earlier said the dress code had been in existence for years but was not enforced.

www.bgdailynews.com

A Tri-state man has been convicted of running an illegal tattoo and piercing parlor but that news offers little comfort to more than 100 local teens who could be infected with serious diseases.

Now, one of those teens and her mother are urging the kids to come forward, both for their health and to ensure he gets the punishment he deserves.

Amanda Nieman, 17, will begin her senior year of high school in the fall but she's had little time to get excited about that, because a mistake she made two months ago has been haunting her ever since.

"For the next year, I have to worry about somebody who's taken a decision that should have been mine and given her something that could actually kill her," Nieman's mother, Angela.

Nieman's mother has been consumed for the past two months with one question: Is her daughter going to get sick?

Nieman had her tongue pierced at a Banning Road apartment back in March.

She did not have her mother's permission and the man she went to, did not have a license.

Nieman came down with an infection.

Now, she's worried about something much more serious.

"Aids...Hepatitis. I just, it was a mistake. I thought it was safe. I thought he knew what he was doing," Nieman said.

Only five parents have pursued charges against Tony Pippin but police said dozens, possibly hundreds more kids are involved.

Pippin will be sentenced next month on six charges, each carries a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail.

"Thirty days for something that could actually kill our kids, I don't feel should be a misdemeanor," Nieman's mother said.

Nieman's mother hopes after hearing her daughter's story, more kids will come forward and more charges will be filed.

In the meantime, her daughter just worries about the teens who still have not been tested.

"They say that they've had it for too long and if they had something, they would have known by now," Nieman said. "Just go get tested. I don't want people to just one day get sick and not know why."

It usually takes three months for HIV or hepatitis to show up in tests.

Nieman has to wait until August for that and then she will be re-tested in a year.

www.wcpo.com

I got my first "real" piercing three days before my eighteenth birthday, and I was thrilled. At first I was terrified of that needle glinting menacingly in the darkened shop (there was a power outage). But a few weeks later, I felt like a real bad ass with that stainless steel barbell through my tongue. I would stick the ball out of my mouth and play with it "absentmindedly", secretly hoping to get comments. And sometimes, it worked. Most of my friends are straight-laced, vanilla, plainskin, or whatever else it pleases you to call them. To them, I WAS hardcore.

Within a few months, though, this feeling of accomplishment faded. I considered a few other pokes, and eventually did get two cartilage piercings in my right ear. But if you had asked me then WHY I wanted this done, what the draw of piercings was, I'd have been at a loss to answer you. Finally, I came upon a new school of thought: body modification. This wasn't just piercing for the sake of piercing, it wasn't trendy, and it wasn't mainstream. I realized that what I wanted to do was to modify myself to my own idea of perfection. I realized that I was part of a community of like-minded people, and this was empowering.

I started modifying myself further. Most recently, I've begun a surface-bar corset in my lower back. As my most "extreme" mod thus far, I was understandably proud of it. When I went in to work the next day, of course I was showing it off to all my friends. There was one girl, however, that was home for the summer and covering someone else's shift. I'd never met her before, but "Sarah" seemed nice enough. She was curious as to the secret that everyone was getting hauled off into the kitchen to see. Not thinking anything of it, I told her.

"I started a corset piercing in my back."

And my jaw dropped as she gave me the most disgusted look and proclaimed:

"I don't understand how anyone can do that to their body. I've got my ears, my belly button, and my tongue, and that's enough for me."

Her TONGUE? My mind reeled. She had her tongue pierced and she was standing there judging me, mentally labeling me as a freak for all intensive purposes. I was dumbfounded as I compared her perspective to my own a few months prior. She saw her tongue as "normal" and I had liked to think of mine as "different". She had tongue piercings mentally equated to a navel ring. I knew I would eventually get negative reactions to my corset, but I didn't expect them to come from someone like Sarah.

It was with a heavy heart (and sore back) that I finished out my shift. When I came home, I logged onto BME to have a look at this situation objectively. Imagine my surprise when I found that standard navels are pictured about 2300 times, and center tongue piercings are pictured 2800 times. Could this mean that there are actually MORE people with a tongue piercing than a navel piercing? I'm not willing to make that assumption just yet. I think it's a real possibility that first, many girls with the single fashion piercing of a navel never make it to BME, and secondly, some people that have more extensive modifications may consider their navel "no big deal" and not bother to submit a picture.

Still, the numbers are there in black and white. And I began to see where Sarah might have gotten this point of view. Simple center tongue piercings are just not as "different" as I once thought they were. I began to have serious doubts about the validity of my own. After all, seriously modded people can't have trendy piercings, can they? I started seriously considering removing my year-old tongue piercing and getting venoms pierced so as not to be so mainstream.

I stopped. I love my tongue piercing. It's still my "first real piercing" and it's been with me for almost a year now. I smile when I think about the great experience that I had getting it done with my friends, and how it introduced me to my piercer. I felt like I would really be losing a part of myself if I took it out. So what if it's popular. I decided that I don't have to be contrary to everyone else. I don't have to arbitrarily reject the norm. I just need to be myself.

Now, at this point when I have fourteen different piercings in my body, I realize that while my first piercing was done at eleven in a mall, my first modification was hole number seven, my daith. Right, it's just an ear piercing. True, but it was the first one that I got with the intention of modifying myself. I'm glad I found this path, and I know that I will be following it for a long time to come, if not for the rest of my life. And if my path weaves in and I fall in step with someone else for a while, I'll just be glad of the company.

Gwenn
www.bmezine.com

CINCINNATI -- A man has admitted to running an illegal tattoo shop for area teenagers out of his apartment.

Tony Pippin pleaded guilty Wednesday to five counts of performing procedures on minors and one count of running an illegal tattoo or piercing business, WLWT Eyewitness News 5 reported.

A count of performing a procedure on a minor was dismissed.

After entering his plea, Pippin was released on bond from the Hamilton County Justice Center.

Police in Colerain Township said Pippin operated an illegal tattoo parlor inside his apartment on Banning Road for at least six months and did not use proper sterilization methods.

Word spread around town to area students that Pippin was giving tattoos and piercings to juveniles without consent from their parents, police said. Tattoos given by Pippin allegedly sickened at least one teenager and possibly more, according to WLWT.

Parents of students at Northwest, LaSalle and Colerain high schools, as well as Diamond Oaks Vocational Center, were warned to call their doctors if their children received a tattoo or piercing from Pippin.

Investigators said as many as 150 students from four area high schools could be affected.

The Hamilton County Health Department issued a warning that the children could have been exposed to serious illnesses like hepatitis B and C, possibly even HIV.

www.channelcincinnati.com

BACKGROUND: Once reserved for punk rockers, body piercing has hit the mainstream. People are sporting jewelry in a wide range of body parts including noses, navels, eyebrows and tongues. The increase in body piercing is blamed for a steep rise in one particular allergy. About 15 percent of Americans suffer from nickel allergies. The condition can occur at any age and typically appears as an itchy, dry, red skin rash.

NICKEL ALLERGY: Decorative devices, made of a variety of materials, are often used in piercing procedures. Costume jewelry is generally made of alloys that contain different metals. Nickel, cobalt and chrome can be found in costume-grade rings, studs and barbells used in body piercing. Those alloys can cause allergies for people who wear the jewelry. This causes a person to become sensitized to nickel. Once a person is sensitized, future exposure to nickel may cause a rash.

Between 9 percent and 48 percent of all people may become sensitized to nickel at some point in their lives -- making nickel the most common form of contact allergy.

STUDY: The European Environmental and Contact Dermatitis Research Group conducted a study to provide the basis for new regulations aimed at preventing nickel allergy. Patients who were sensitized to nickel participated in the study. Twenty non-nickel-sensitive patients were used as controls. Patch testing on the back and ear lobe was used to test skin reactions to a wide variety of nickel-containing materials commonly used in jewelry and clothing accessories. Ten of the materials produced a significant number of reactions. This includes brass and sterling silver alloys that were gold, silver or chromium-plated, as well as nickel silver and white gold that had more than 6 percent nickel content. Stainless steel was also tested. Of the commonly used stainless steel products tested in the study, none produced a reaction. Therefore, stainless steels were considered safe. Some alloys, though, can release nickel when in contact with human sweat and cause reactions in people who have sensitive skin.

PREVENTION: The only way to prevent a nickel reaction is to avoid the metal. In the study, researchers found the objects most likely to induce a reaction were earrings, watches, bracelets, buttons, rings, zippers, necklaces and eyeglass frames.

TESTING: A metal object suspected as a possible source of nickel can easily be tested with the dimethylglyoxime test. A solution is rubbed on the object and depending on the color change, you can tell if there is nickel in the product. A pharmacist can advise you on where to purchase this test.

www.thechamplainchannel.com

The developmental task for early teens is to begin to form a sense of an independent identity. The parents- job is to allow reasonable exploration, but within limits.

The teen years are a time of many changes. The privilege to make decisions that are permanent do not come during the early teen years. Parents would be wise to temper their teens- natural impulsivity, teaching by example, ?when in doubt, rule it out.¦

Antonia Caretto, Ph.D.

Licensed clinical psychologist, Farmington Hills

Parents can begin a dialogue by avoiding a firm stance and listening to why the youth is interested in body art and learning what type of message the child wants to communicate. Listening and reasoning may help the child realize the permanency of most types of body art and help them figure out that what is in-vogue at 13 may not be the message at 43. If that process doesn-t work, try offering a less permanent form of tattoo and piercing. If all else fails, just say no, until the child is willing to reason and bargain, or until they reach adulthood.

www.detnews.com

(AgapePress) - Body piercing and tattooing are not new ideas. These practices go back thousands of years, even before the days of Leviticus 19:28. Likewise, in our own culture, piercing and tattooing have left their mark. However, until recently, the influence has never been considered positive. Instead, piercing and tattooing the body carried a negative stigma associated with rebellion or questionable character. In fact, seemingly innocent tattoos usually came with a story like, "One night me and my buddies were drunk and ..." Hence, in light of its growing popularity among Christian youth, should Christians view this as just another harmless fad? Or is it a symptom of something much deeper?

We can learn from the lessons of the Israelites. God repeatedly warned His people to "Be careful," and not follow the customs or ways of the pagans. Over and over again they did not heed these warnings given for their protection and preservation. Consequently, they were continually seduced and ensnared by their enemies, and "... went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the Lord had commanded them not to do like them." (2 Kings 17:15 NAS)

Biblical "principles" were not just relegated to history. They are also for the Church today. Nonetheless, according to Charles Spurgeon, the carnal mind does not understand the principles of separation from the world. Yet, he warns, "When the town is on fire, our house cannot be too far from the flames. When the plague sweeps the land, we too are in danger. The further one is from the viper ... and ... from worldly conformity the better." But, where are we living today? Are we keeping our families further from the fires of the culture, or are we living right on the edge?

The Heart of America's Youth Culture
David Kupelian, vice-president of WorldNetDaily.com, says that " ... throughout history certain societal behaviors contribute to its spiral downward and make a people ripe for rebellion against God." Describing today's "celebratory" piercing and tattooing of the body as one of the cultural indicators bearing "a striking resemblance to the ageless spirit of defiant paganism," Kupelian laments, " ... it's as though the rebellious spirit of reprobate, pagan civilizations of the past was tapped into by today's pop culture." ("The Marketing of Evil," Whistleblower, December 2003)

Although Kupelians's report is based on the current condition of our culture, Christians should also take notice ... especially since we see evidence of similar popular youth expressions growing in the Church.

Just how bad have things become? In a private, sobering conversation with someone who has firsthand knowledge of a popular youth missionary training facility, a volunteer sadly told me, "You will see everything here ...." He was referring to tongue and body piercing, tattoos and immodest dress, which of course included girls with their bare midriffs showing.

Sliding Toward Secularism
Six years ago my daughter surprised me with the news that a girl in her church youth group was getting her tongue pierced. Many were confused about why this girl, who was regarded as a leader, diligently read her Bible, and who even gave up part of her summer to go on a teen mission trip, would want a stud in her tongue.

Since tongue piercing was clearly "counter-culture," and because I was concerned about its influence on her friends, the next time she called our house, I questioned her about whether or not this would compromise her witness for Christ. I also asked her to reconsider identifying with those hostile to our faith. To my dismay, I learned her mother had actually given her permission, and the only explanation she gave me was, "I told my mother this is just something I need to do."

I have heard other shallow responses from Christian young people such as: "This is a proclamation of my faith," or "My tattoo(s) open the door for me to witness." Still, not everyone would agree with this generation's new statements of faith.

What Can Christians Learn from Starbucks?
Out of curiosity, I called Starbucks' Seattle cooperate office with a question: "Does Starbucks have a dress code?" In response I was told, "On the job we do not allow tattoos, tongue piercing, or more than one earring per ear." Why? Because Starbucks wants their employees "to have a certain demeanor," which in turn will "create a positive image and environment." To be sure, if Starbucks did not think it would hurt business, the successful corporate leader would not require its employees to leave their tongue piercing and tattoos at home.

But something doesn't add up here. Standards are higher at Starbucks than they are for Christian young people in the church? What can we learn from Starbucks, the Pottery Barn and other successful companies, who share similar dress codes? Body piercing and tattoos send a negative message -- a message Christians should not be willing to send.

Therefore, if the Church wants the next generation to identify with Christ, and not the culture, our young people must lovingly be taught the truth: Those who have publicly committed themselves to pursuing godliness should support that claim not only by being clothed with righteous behavior, but also by modeling Christian character in their demeanor, wardrobe, and modest appearance.

If Starbucks doesn't think body piercing and tattoos are "good for business," why would Christians accept the idea they are good for witnessing? Similarly speaking, during his weekly radio broadcast, Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, has cautioned that "thoughtful Christians" should not identify with those in our culture marked with piercing and tattoos.

Like the Israelites of old, American Christians have become careless. As a result, spiritual confusion continues to grow, and it is becoming more and more difficult for the next generation to clearly see where the world ends and the church begins.

headlines.agapepress.org

They call Amsterdam the “Ultimate City of Freedom”, or so the t-shirt I brought back for Shannon claims. The border crossing into the country didn’t involve being searched or questioned, and nothing more than pausing to get a Schippol Airport stamp in my passport held me from those freedoms — prostitutes, gambling, drugs, and euthanasia I suppose... but Jen Savage (my traveling companion and soon-to-be nurse) and I had come looking for another kind of freedom: medical freedom.
Most, if not all, of you have heard of the “JewelEye” implant that’s been upsetting conservative doctors lately — it is after all quite literally an implant under the surface of the eye. I decided to come see what it was all about... and to have it done on myself. As of Wednesday May 26, 2004, I am now the first person outside of The Netherlands to have it done.

After a short 30-minute train ride from Amsterdam to Utrecht, we stopped briefly at our hotel and then took a cab into the suburb of Driebergen where we arrived at the notorious Retina Total Eye Care. Far in fact from “notorious”, the clinic is located on a quiet shopping street open only to pedestrians and bike traffic, and looks every bit the designer clinic — walls covered with with Dolce & Gabbana, BVLGARI, Calvin Klein, and GUESS. The clinic’s center is a beautiful koi pond with bamboo growing up to the second story, and as we waited we were served apple juice and espresso.

When they were ready for me I went upstairs where they had the pre-op rooms and their full surgical suite. First I was given a complete eye exam to make sure there were no defects on my eye, and during this exam they determined the optimal positioning of the implant jewelry. The entire white of the eye is suitable for placement (so there was no “mapping of blood vessels” like in procedures such as dermal punching an ear), so the position is a combination of what I wanted and what they recommend — the goal was to have it subtle most of the time, but appear during conversation. Although one might assume it’s a hardcore mod, it’s not supposed to be “in your face”, even though it obviously is. Because we tend to look up when we’re talking, we decided to place the implant — a small platinum star — in the lower left quadrant of my left eye.

I was given a drop of anesthetic in both eyes — the eye not undergoing the procedure needed to be relaxed as well since our eyes move in unison. Two more anesthetic drops were put into my left eye, and an additional antibiotic drop was also given with the anesthetics. The drops stung a bit until they finally took effect. After that I couldn-t feel anything and my eyesight in my left eye became blurry. My hair was put into a hairnet and I changed into a surgical gown, complete with little plastic foot covers.

A sliding door opened and I was brought into an operating room. It was at this point that I really started to feel in good hands and at ease. Everything was top-of-the-line and matched the TV image of the perfect clinic. Everything was clean, white, and new. I got onto the operating table and my head was locked into place. I got another anesthetic drop, and my face around my eye was swabbed down with iodine — getting lots into the eye itself as well.

The table then rotated underneath some very bright lights and what I assume was some kind of microscope. A sterile drape was placed over my face except for a hole for my left eye. My eyelids and lashes were taped back and a claw was put under my eyelids to keep me from blinking (or “winkeling” as the doctors and nurses put it). If you’ve seen A Clockwork Orange you know what I’m talking about!

For most of the surgery I had my eye looking all the way to the right. I was convinced I wasn’t doing what they asked and was having a hard time keeping my eye in place, but they said I never moved once. I guess because my eye was moving due to the pressure that they were exerting on it, I felt that it was me moving it — but there was never any pain and hardly any pressure.

The procedure itself involved injecting a liquid to elevate and separate the layers of the eyeball, which helps the surgeon with the placement of the implant under the conjunctiva (in old age, many people build up calcium deposits in this area, so our eye is actually designed to handle material stuck there). A small flap is cut, and the implant is inserted. After it was in place, they began suctioning out the liquid that was used to elevate the layers. After a few weeks, the liquid will dissipate and the implant will become even more visible.

After removing as much of the elevation liquid (and the iodine) as possible, they removed the tape and sterile cover from my face. The tape being pulled off was actually the only pain that I felt for the entire procedure (I was worried about it pulling out my lashes, but it didn’t)! I can-t stand pulling tape off of myself after a tattoo either. It took about three minutes before I was able to sit up. I felt disorientated — staring into blinding lights while holding your eyes in an awkward position can take more of a toll on your entire body than you-d think. But still, the entire procedure from the start of the examination to getting off the table probably took less than half an hour.

I was taken back to the pre-op room where my face was cleansed of residual iodine and the surgeon gave me another exam to make sure that the implant was positioned properly. I felt very off balance because my left eye was so blurry — the fluid in my eye caused the distortion. In hindsight I’d have liked an eye patch and my eye felt much better when I kept it closed.

The surgeons were adamant that I call them if I was unhappy with the placement or if anything seemed wrong. I went back to my hotel to sleep, but woke up after two hours thanks to jet lag. I slept only off and on, even though I desperately needed a good night of sleep. By morning my eye had started to get quite red. It basically looked like I had pink eye, but with a lot less crusties and drainage. After the eyelid piercing article I was expecting pus, and to have to keep cleaning my eye but there was nothing more to do than my antibiotic drops three times a day. To be honest, I attribute the redness as much to lack of sleep as the implant — as soon as I got a night of sleep the redness was gone.

So the morning after having the implant, my eye felt sore, but not uncomfortably so. Looking to the right for too long (posing for pictures!) made the soreness more intense but that would be expected — it felt similar to having an eyelash stuck in my eye. At my initial follow up exam Thursday morning the doctors said everything looked fine, although I did feel my eyes were dry. I asked if I could put saline drops in, and the doctor gave me an ointment for dryness instead and we made one final appointment at their second clinic in Rotterdam for the morning of our flight home.

The remainder of the week was to be spent doing some whirlwind traveling (“ah, an American vacation” a few people remarked; “next time you need to stay a little longer”). First to Liege, Belgium where we met with Marisa (who you know from her legal articles here) and Dan DiMattia of Calypso Tattoo (also no stranger to BME readers). My only problem with Belgium is the sidewalks — they are only about two feet wide! It-s hard to walk in a group, let alone side by side. Conversations have to wait.

I haven’t written much about the aftercare of the JewelEye because it really was a non-issue. Other than the very slight inconvenience of having to complete my course of antibiotic eye drops over the first week, there was barely any discomfort. A scratched eye hurts worse than this did.

After Liege, we traveled on to Antwerp, and then up to Venlo on the high-speed train (a big let-down on which we were served some sort of vomit-based dish) where we met with Kor and his Truth Seekers Syndicate for their ritual event which had drawn people from as far as Norway (Havve Fjell, who you know from Ten Years of Pain) and Brazil. But it was all over so quickly — next time I will try and take the advice to stay longer.

But, the trip was over and all that was left was my final appointment with Dr. Melles. He seemed very concerned that the star was a little lower down on my eye than he’d wanted, and asked me to let him know if I ever became unsatisfied and wanted it shifted slightly. He even gave me a note to take to an ophthalmologist locally. But, other than his concern about the aesthetics of the placement, there were no problems and everything seemed normal and healthy.

I want to say that Dr. Gerrit Melles (who developed this procedure as well as being the one who performed it on me) has a really wonderful bedside manner. He treated me kindly and with respect throughout our entire interaction — sadly, not the response a young, heavily tattooed woman is used to getting in this world. He took the time to explain everything in detail before, and as it was happening, which helped keep me calm. I felt like he was talking to me and not “at me”. He went out of his way to make sure I knew to contact him personally if I had any concerns.

As of today I’ve had a platinum star under the surface of my left eye for six days. Healing has been uneventful, and at 750 Euros (about $900 US), even with the price of the airfare and accommodations it cost no more than a large tattoo would. I don’t really know why I wanted it — something about it just struck me. Why do I like a certain hair style, or why do I like a certain song? I thought it was pretty. Whether it comes to mean more or less to me in the future, time will tell, but, I think Dr. Melles put it well when he explained that in all of human history, people have decorated themselves with jewelry. Of all our organs, one can argue that the eye is the most important in social interaction — now that we can do it safely, is eyeball jewelry really that strange?

www.bmezine.com

Health and hygiene

You can decrease the possibility of complications if you go to a reputable tattoo or body piercing studio. Choose an establishment that is clean, tidy and orderly.

Autoclave: An autoclave is a heat sterilization machine regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It should be used to sterilize all non-disposable equipment after each customer.

Hygienic equipment: Watch the tattoo artist and make sure they open a sealed package of a new, sterilized needle to use for your procedure. Any pigments, tubes, trays and containers should be unused as well.

Commercial disinfectant or bleach: Instruments and supplies that can't be sterilized with an autoclave should be disinfected with a commercial disinfectant or bleach after each use. These include pigment bottles, drawer handles, tables and sinks.

Gloves: Ensure the tattoo artist or piercer washes their hands and puts on a fresh pair of latex gloves for each procedure. In addition, the gloves should touch only you during the procedure. If piercers or tattoo artists open drawers or answer the phone while performing a procedure, they expose you to possible infection -- ask them to replace their gloves with a new pair.

No piercing guns: Do not get your body pierced with a piercing gun. These devices typically can't be sterilized with an autoclave, and may thus increase your risk of contracting an infection. Such guns may also crush your skin during the piercing and may cause minor injuries.

Hypoallergenic jewelry: Brass and nickel jewelry can cause allergic reactions. Look for studs, hoops and other adornments made from surgical steel, titanium, 14- or 18-karat gold or a metal called niobium.

Any reputable piercer or tattoo studio should be willing to discuss health and safety issues. Ask plenty of questions about the qualifications and the cleanliness of the establishment. If the piercer or tattoo artist hesitates to answer your questions, take your business and your health elsewhere. Remember to shop around.

Follow-up care

Caring for your new body art depends on the type and extent of the work.

Tattoos: The tattoo artist should provide you with instructions after the procedure. Don't pick at scabs, which can increase the risk of infection, damage the design and create scars.

Oral piercing (tongue, lip): Use an antibacterial, alcohol-free mouth rinse for 30 to 60 seconds after meals while your piercing heals, and use a new, soft-bristled toothbrush to avoid introducing bacteria into your mouth.

Skin piercing (nose, ears, eyebrows, navel): First, wash your hands with soap and water before cleaning to reduce the risk of introducing bacteria. Next, rinse the area with warm water and gently remove any crusting with a cotton swab. Apply a dab of a medicated liquid cleanser -- the piercer might recommend an over-the-counter option -- and gently twist the stud or hoop to work the cleanser around the opening.

Clean the area once or twice a day -- if you clean it more frequently, it will become irritated. Avoid alcohol and peroxide, as they can dry the skin, and avoid antibiotic ointments, which keep oxygen from reaching the piercing and can leave a sticky residue.

Removal

If you decide you no longer want your piercing or tattoo, there are some options for removing them. Piercings often heal over, sometimes quickly, once you remove the jewelry that keeps the hole open.

Laser surgery: This is the most effective way to "erase" a tattoo. Pulses of laser break up the pigment and your body processes and expunges it naturally. It may require as many as 12 treatments over a year to reduce the appearance of the tattoo, and the treatment might not be able to completely erase it. Black ink is the easiest to remove, while red and yellow are the most difficult. Make sure you go to a reputable laser surgeon to avoid scarring.

Dermabrasion: In this method, the tattooed area is chilled until numb, then the skin is sanded down gradually. This shouldn't be too painful, but it may leave a scar.

Excision: The tattoo can be surgically removed and the edges of the incision sewn back together by a doctor, but this also can leave a scar, particularly if the tattoo is expansive.

Body art is a highly individual and personal statement, but as with anything in this day and age, it is wiser to err on the side of caution before you decide to change your look forever.

www.thejakartapost.com

When Janet Jackson flashed her breast at the 2004 SuperBowl creating a firestorm of controversy, she was wearing a Gauntlet nipple shield. The sunburst design was one I created in the mid 70s.

When you pay a visit to your local piercer and look at the tremendous variety of jewelry in their display case, it’s easy to assume it’s always been that way. What’s difficult to believe is that before Gauntlet, piercing enthusiasts were making do with earrings and all kinds of improvised contrivances. Although I’m always reluctant to blow my own horn, the truth is that I was personally responsible for many of the jewelry designs and piercing innovations most people take for granted.



Although Gauntlet officially became a business in November of 1975, it took nearly nine months before things began to come together enough for me to issue Gauntlet’s first jewelry “Folio.” To call it a catalog would be stretching things. It was simply a legal sized piece of heavy paper printed on both sides and folded into quarters. But to the best of my knowledge it was the first time any collection of body jewelry designs had ever been offered for sale to the public.

Despite Doug’s financial help, my budget was still very lean. I had little knowledge of photography, especially taking pictures of jewelry, which is an art unto itself. Since I couldn’t afford to hire a professional photographer and printing photographs would have been more costly, I chose to illustrate the first brochure myself with line drawings.

In these days of desktop publishing, younger people have no concept of what was involved to produce printed materials before the advent of the home computer. The process was in constant evolution, but in the mid 70s a common way was to take the copy to a local printer. There someone would type it into a special IBM Selectric typewriter — anyone remember typewriters? — equipped with memory. At the push of a button the text would then be printed onto special paper that would later be cut up and pasted by hand into the final layout. All very primitive by today’s standards. Headlines were often produced separately using fonts that were on a strip of film. Each letter was exposed onto light sensitive paper and when finished, processed in photo chemicals. As an alternative you could do as I did and use rubdown lettering for headlines.

I was still groping my way. It took time to design and “test drive” the nearly dozen items that appeared in the first brochure. As mentioned in an earlier column, my first design was the nipple retainer. The bead ring, a scaled up version of a fairly common earring design, followed this.

In the months and years to come, jewelry designs were always being developed and refined. Some became classics that are still being reproduced today; some were consigned almost immediately to history. Others lasted for a while, eventually fading into obscurity for lack of interest by customers. Still others ended up on the scrap heap because experience proved a particular design was no longer appropriate. Regardless of their longevity, many of them have an interesting story.

For a great many years the standard bead ring with the attached ball was Gauntlet’s bread and butter. But some members of the T&P group, and others, wanted a design that appeared to be continuous. Had it been practical they would have been quite happy to have the rings permanently soldered shut.

One of Gauntlet’s early competitors was a short-lived business called Whatever Rings. It was run by a couple of gay guys who were heavy S/M players. They operated out of their West Hollywood apartment and solicited business through ads in the local gay press. The business was primarily a means for them to entice men into an S/M scene.

The “jewelry” sold by Whatever Rings consisted of gold wire formed into simple gold rings. There was no closure. While they might look nice, I personally considered them impractical if not dangerous. From experiments I had done I knew it was difficult to get the ends to line up perfectly, particularly after the ring had been inserted into a piercing. This could mean discomfort if the gap rotated inside the piercing. The gap, no matter how small, could also trap debris and quickly become a breeding ground for germs that could lead to infection in a fresh piercing.



Still, some people liked the look and insisted they wanted it. So I tried to make something at least a little more practical. I called it a “Seamless” Ring. It still had the small gap, but I perfected a way of crafting a pin coupling which, if nothing else would keep the ends in alignment. To minimize the risk of infection, I insisted that customers wait until their piercings had healed before wearing this type of jewelry.

Unfortunately one of my customers discovered the shortcomings of the design not long after I’d inserted them into his nipple piercings. His name was Alden, and he was part of the T&P group. He also enjoyed rough sex play. Early one Monday morning he showed up on my doorstep. It was obvious something was wrong. Apparently he’d gotten into some pretty heavy action on Saturday night. Someone he was playing with got a little too rough with his nipple rings and one of them had sprung open inside the piercing. He couldn’t rotate the ring or remove it and was in great discomfort. I had to open the ring with a pair of ring expanding pliers in order to remove it. After that he understood the benefits of wearing a ring with a closure especially if he planned on a rough night.



The S/M B/D community were a significant component of my early clientele. A very common request was for a piece of jewelry that could be permanently installed. For most people this was nothing more than a fantasy. They still wanted something that could be removed whenever they wished it. So I set out to see what I could do with locks.

Back when I’d lived in Denver I’d wanted to put a lock in my ear piercing. In the early 70s it was uncommon for a man to have an ear piercing at all, and stretched piercings were something you only saw in National Geographic. There was no way I could see to get a lock through my ear.

I had some basic jewelry making tools and was easily able to get some silver sheet and wire. Using these I constructed a crude working lock. This design with its broken shackle and another with a solid one, made their way into my first jewelry brochure.

Unfortunately these handcrafted locks were never practical. If worn on any semi-permanent basis, they would soon become bound up with disgusting gunk and nearly impossible to open. I attempted unsuccessfully to remedy the situation by replacing the tiny spring with a pad of silicone rubber. Making the locks became a job I dreaded. They involved a lot of work that seemed wasted because of the inherent problems. By the time I issued my second brochure I’d dropped the design with the broken shackle replacing it with a simulated lock that needed no key and had no mechanism to get fowled up. Eventually I discontinued locks altogether.



Other attempts at permanently installable jewelry were made, such as a triangular ring that had two eyes, one threaded, that could be closed with a small lock. Since they weren’t waterproof, even commercially manufactured locks weren’t practical for long term wear.

There were a few hardcore souls who seriously did want something permanent. Soldering, of course, was out of the question. I did find one successful solution. The balls on our standard bead ring were hollow. I would cut a groove around the end of the ring that went inside the ball and fill it with epoxy. When the ring was closed the cement would be forced into the groove where it would set and make the ring impossible to open.



I’ve written previously about the early development of barbells. Once I’d mastered the manufacturing problems it seemed natural to design some variations. The first was what I called the Arrow of Eros. To maximize comfort I didn’t want the head to be sharp, so I modified the shape to something like a Native American arrowhead. The two ends were forged out of metal. These were then taken to an engraver who cut the details. From there rubber molds were made so that the pieces could be cast. Though never a best selling design it nonetheless remained in the Gauntlet line for over twenty years.



Other barbell variations followed. The second brochure included what I called Jeweled Studs. These had semiprecious stone beads set in pronged pearl settings. They were never very popular and in time disappeared from the line.

Over the years many other variations were introduced. None of them were ever as popular as the initial one with round balls which made it much more versatile.



To the best of my knowledge the concept of the nipple shield was original with Gauntlet. The idea was to offer a design that was more decorative and would appeal especially (though not exclusively) to women. As a gay man I still had a lot to learn about female anatomy because many of the first designs had an inside diameter that wouldn’t fit many female nipples!

At one point I contemplated using spring-loaded watchband pins to hold the shields on, but this proved impractical and unnecessary. The tension of the stretched nipple was sufficient to hold the shield in place.

S/M also had an influence especially on one particular design. Even in the early days there were people into play piercing. For them I came up with something like a spoked wheel which had a little more depth. This drew the nipple out so that hypodermic needles could be inserted through the spokes.



It might not exactly qualify as jewelry, but another early Gauntlet innovation was the septum retainer. You might be able to go to work with a septum piercing today, but in the 1970s it would have been unthinkable. Still, there were people who passionately wanted the piercing. That was my inspiration. The first septum retainers were made of oxidized copper wire covered with Teflon tubing. They were virtually invisible. Eventually they when replaced by an anodized niobium version which is offered by a number of manufacturers today.



Especially in the early years when I made almost all the jewelry myself, I had a number of clients who asked me to create something custom just for them. One of the first was Jim A. He wanted a simple gold nipple shield that would be held in place by a gold sword. The blade was made from quarter inch tubing that was pounded flat on one end, soldered shut, and shaped. A brass plug was soldered into the other end. This was drilled and tapped. The handle was wrapped with wire and a bit of flattened chain and ornamented with gold balls. Jim stretched his piercings up to a quarter inch just so he could wear his new jewelry.



Another man wanted a custom nipple shield. He told me he had a thing for feathers and wanted this reflected in the design. It was something of a challenge. Not wanting it to be big or heavy, the feathers have large cutouts and are counterbalanced by complementary shapes that are weighted with extra metal. He seemed pleased.



Multiple ear piercings weren’t exactly common in the early Gauntlet days. This man came in with two ear piercings and wanted an arrow made that would go through both of them. Here’s the result. The post was not straight but shaped to accommodate the piercings. The arrowhead was drilled and tapped to screw onto the post. It was so tiny that the only way I was able to screw it on was to use a pencil eraser with a slit cut in it to hold onto the arrowhead.

One of my more colorful clients was a Hungarian doctor who showed up on my doorstep one day. I was still working out of the house at the time, and he’d been referred to me by the Pleasure Chest, a sex shop that had recently opened in West Hollywood.

Dr. C was impeccably dressed in a suit and tie and had the bearing of a European gentleman. He explained that he wanted a frenum piercing. This was accomplished without a great deal of fuss.

I must confess I was a bit more nervous that usual. Although clean, the house and furniture were shabby. He was, after all, a doctor, and I was concerned that he would be uncomfortable being pierced in such an environment. Still, I brought out a clean bath towel and spread it on the couch for him to lie on. I laid out the bagged and sterilized equipment on a stainless tray. When I was finished he complemented me my technique as well as the cleanliness that I observed. It was a particular validation coming from him.



With casual European sophistication the good doctor told me that he and his wife were no longer sexually active. He had a young girlfriend who he particularly wanted to keep satisfied. To that end he commissioned me to make a cast gold frenum ring that would incorporate two penises and a ball on top that would stimulate her clitoris during intercourse. He quipped that he wanted to penetrate her with three penises.

Dr. C was quite happy with the finished piece of jewelry. Unfortunately he didn’t feel comfortable wearing it all the time, especially at the health club. Consequently he took it on and off frequently. Eventually the post would break off, and he would bring it to me for repair. The last time this happened he brought it in and chatted amiably about what a wonderful device it was. I told him how long it would take for the repair, and everything seemed satisfactory. I never saw him again. Whatever happened to him I never found out. After holding onto the piece of jewelry for several years, I eventually sold it.



For the first several years all my jewelry was either gold or a mixture of gold and silver. Although many clients wanted stainless steel I didn’t know how to make jewelry from that particular metal. Early on I attempted a design I called a triangular safety pin made out of stainless steel wire. It was abandoned fairly quickly because the hook closure tended to snag on clothes and bedding.

Gauntlet’s transition to stainless production was not an easy one. I resisted as long as possible and finally gave in because the price of gold had begun to rise alarmingly.

The challenges were many. First and foremost it was necessary to determine which of the hundreds of stainless steel alloys was appropriate for inserting into the body. The best information I was able to gather was that it needed to be low-carbon and nickel-free. At various times we made jewelry of 304 and 316 stainless. The industry standard today is 316L.

Then there was the matter of gauge. The standard gauge system used for steel wire is different from that used for gold and silver, so for the sake of consistency it was necessary to have all the stainless steel wire custom produced.

The coils of wire arrived from the mill and I discovered that it was too stiff to be easily shaped. Gold and silver can be softened, a process called annealing, quite easily by heating them red hot and quenching them immediately in cold water. If you do this to steel you only make it harder. The only way to get the wire soft was to send it out and have it professionally heat-treated.

At first I tried unsuccessfully to apply gold fabrication techniques to stainless steel. The results were disappointing to say the least. Eventually I found a company that was able to silver solder drilled stainless balls onto stainless steel rings and then electropolish them. For some reason the quality of the electropolishing was not reliable. Sometimes the surface was not mirror bright and on occasion the process was overdone and the rings came back measurably thinner than they should have been.

Many of these problems could have been eliminated had I not been convinced that the captive bead ring design was unsatisfactory. As someone who continually thought of piercing as an adjunct to sex play, I felt the ball could too easily come loose and get lost. I couldn’t imagine many people wanting to search for a ball lost inside a body cavity.

Stainless steel barbells presented their own difficulties. There was no way to produce them in house, so I went looking for a machinist to do the job for us. Part of the problem was that I had no idea how to locate the right person. The results were less than satisfactory. The first order of barbells I had made should never have seen the light of day much less been offered for sale. The machinist was unequipped to produce a stud with an internally threaded post. I ended up settling for externally threaded studs, and to say that I was frustrated is putting it mildly. In order to insert them without causing discomfort or damage to the individual, the externally threaded post first had to be dipped in melted wax. It was a compromise I hated.

When the stock began running low I started looking for another machinist and finally found one who was able to produce an internally threaded barbell stud. Unfortunately that was only half the challenge. The other was to produce a ball with male thread attached. The machinist produced short threaded pins that had to be secured into drilled and threaded balls. We tried various kinds of cement without success and ended up having to silver solder them. It was a solution, although again less than 100% satisfactory.

On occasion clients would ask why Gauntlet’s stainless steel jewelry was so expensive. I always told them that they could buy a nut and bolt at the hardware store for pennies because they were manufactured by the millions. At that time there simply weren’t enough people who needed stainless steel body jewelry to mass produce it like hardware. All that has certainly changed.



Niobium body jewelry, another Gauntlet innovation, is wildly popular today and available almost everywhere. In the early 80s craftspeople were beginning to make regular jewelry from anodized niobium. It was incredibly beautiful, and when I learned just how inert the metal was, I realized its great potential. The material was fairly inexpensive and could be anodized in an array of bright colors. It took some effort to perfect the technique.

The anodizing process required that the metal piece be attached to an electrode and submerged in a solution mostly of water. The more oxygen the solution could make available to the process, the better the results. Different craftspeople had their own secret formulas. I heard of someone who used Coca-Cola. What seemed to work best for me was a solution containing non-chlorine bleach.

Since there is no practical way to solder niobium, I finally was forced to embrace the captive bead ring. From then on it became part of Gauntlet’s jewelry line.

It’s been almost thirty years since I started Gauntlet, but the ideas and innovations that it pioneered are very much with us today. I often wish I were receiving royalties. I’d be a very rich man.

Look into my eyes ... you are getting sleepy, very sleeepy. Vote Bloc, a clean Quebec party.

Are Gilles Duceppe's piercing, mesmerizingly blue eyes on all those campaign posters responsible for his dominant poll numbers in the province? Possibly, says a veteran local hypnotist.

"To get someone into the hypnotized state, you start by looking them right in the face," Reuben Pecarve, a hypnotist for 55 of his 74 years, said yesterday.

"A good set of eyes, piercing eyes, can help, by showing dominance." Good poster peepers might "lure voters into a state of susceptibility, hypnotizability."

But he doesn't think he'd be able to hypnotize a politician. "They'd be too afraid of giving away secrets," said Pecarve, who treats everything from procrastination to sociopathic behaviour.

Does this mean demerger for part of N.D.G., too? People in eastern N.D.G. thought it was a mistake yesterday when signs popped up for Liberal Lucienne Robillard, the MP for next-door Westmount-Ville-Marie riding. No error. The eastern limit of Notre-Dame-de-Grace-Lachine riding used to be the Decarie Expressway. It's now 13 blocks west of there - at Hingston Ave. "Westmount-adjacent" is growing, a boon for property values.

Eighty per cent of Canada's ridings changed boundaries since the 2000 vote. Visit www.elections.ca and enter your postal code to find your riding. Or call, toll free, 1 (800) 463-6868.

Actually, Kermit, it is easy being green. Just add a dash of the colour to your Web site and your quotes. The NDP is moving from its traditional orange-and-black motif to orange and green. A Jack Layton quote in large letters on the opening page of the party site promises "a green and prosperous country." All this greening has nothing to do with a rivalry with the Green Party, said NDP spokesperson Ian Capstick. Green is simply "an exciting, fresh colour" that Layton likes.

Yeah, sure, says Green leader Jim Harris. They're painting themselves green because they're losing votes to large-G green candidates, he said, noting provincial NDP governments have been anything but environmentally friendly. "It's like that show, 'What's my line?' At the end, you ask, 'Will the real green party please stand up?' "

Let politicians and news anchors keep their fancy campaign buses. Columnist Patrick Lagace is covering the election across Canada with his thumb.

"I'm talking to people all along the way to see what Canadians want, what they feel," Lagace, of the Journal de Montreal, said from Chilliwack, B.C., where we caught up with him yesterday. He was having lunch with a trucker, the first person to pick him up. He plans to be in Newfoundland for election day.

"It's my first time hitchhiking. My mom always said, 'Don't do it, it's dangerous,' " he said. He has bear repellent and a Swiss Army knife for protection. "But this is Canada - nothing ever happens here but elections and flooding, so I'm hoping for the best."

www.canada.com

To mark the 711th anniversary of East Java province's capital Surabaya which falls on May 31, The Jakarta Post's Indra Harsaputra reports on the city's historical sites, which are in a poor state, and also on the rapid development of business in the second largest city in the country.

Sad to say, Surabaya's Youth Hall and many other historical buildings are now in a state of neglect or been have converted into upmarket shopping centers. Besides the loss of many examples of the city's built heritage, Surabaya has also degenerated into a heavily polluted urban sprawl. Surprisingly, most of the city's residents seem unaffected by the pollution. For them, Surabaya is still a good place to live and work in.

Surabaya, originally a coastal town, is one of the country's oldest urban areas. Located on the Kalimas estuary, it was originally called Ujunggaluh (Hujunggaluh) and is thought to date back to 1293

The settlement of Ujunggaluh is generally associated with the struggle waged by Raden Wijaya and his people against Kubilai Khan's Mongol invaders.

In local mythology, there was a fight between a sura fish and an alligator (buaya in Indonesian or boyo in Javanese) for control of a particular area. The fight ended with the death of both the fish and the alligator. Hence the name Surabaya (sura combined with buaya.

During the Netherlands Indies days, Surabaya saw a number of noted Dutch architects gaining commissions in the city. Westmaes was one of these architects. He designed the Simpangsche Societeit, which was built in 1907. Today, this building, known as Balai Pemuda (Youth Hall), is still one of the city's main landmarks. The cream of Surabaya society gathered there to listen to music, dance and watch plays.

After completing the construction of Simpangche Societeit, Westmaes was instructed to design De Tweede Roomsch Katholieke Kerk (the Second Surabaya Catholic Church), which is now known as the Church of St. Mary the Virgin and stands on Jalan Kepanjen.

During this period, other noted Dutch architects and firms of architects were also drawn to the city, including Fritz Joseph Pinedo, Berlage, Hulswit and Fermond & Ed. Cuypers. Their work shows a blend of traditional Javanese Joglo (the steep upper section of the roof of a traditional Javanese mansion) and Dutch architectural styles.

Thanks to the work of these architects, Surabaya still boasts some impressive Netherlands Indies architecture. Some of these buildings also played a role in the rebellion staged by Surabaya residents against the Allies. The Jembatan Merah (Red Bridge) and the Heroes' Monument, for example, are just two of the many buildings that bear silent witness to history in the city.

As of 2003, the Surabaya municipal administration had identified 163 historic buildings and heritage sites. These buildings, considered invaluable from the historical, architectural and conservation aspects, include Kalisosok penitentiary, Surabaya city railway station (Semut), the Joko Dolog statue, Bung Karno's boarding house on Jalan Peneleh Gang VII/29-31 just of Jl. Peneleh, and the Nam Shop.

Unfortunately, some of these heritage sites are now in poor repair. Some of them have even, or will be, converted to commercial uses. Kalisosok penitentiary, for example, is currently very dilapidated and is due to be turned into a shopping center. Semut railway station is also to be demolished to make way for shop-houses. Wonokromo traditional market has been converted into the Darmo Trade Center (DTC), which cost some Rp 230 billion.

The Airlangga University students dormitory on Jalan Blauran 57 was demolished last year, despite the fact that it was a protected structure.

Latimin, a retired naval officer who lives nearby, said the student dormitory was vacated long before PT Blauran Cipta Mulya drew up a plan to build a shopping center on the eastern part of Jalan Blauran.

Currently, the site occupied by the former dormitory is surrounded by an unsightly galvanized fence.

Of all the city's historical objects, it is the Balai Pemuda that is today the city's best known landmark. While in the past it was an art center for the elite, today it is the municipal art center, where regular performances ranging from dancing to a youth band festival are held. Events organized in conjunction with the official anniversary of Surabaya are also held here.

According to the official version of events, this building marked the beginning of the rise of Surabayans in their struggle against the colonizers.

During Dutch colonial rule, Surabaya residents were seriously offended when a Dutchman at the Simpangsche Societeit allegedly said: "Indigenous people and dogs are prohibited from entering." The story spread and enraged the Surabaya people, who later fought valiantly under local hero Bung (brother) Tomo against the colonists.

Meanwhile, Heri Lento, an observer of the art scene and also a member of the Surabaya Arts Council, said that the administration of Surabaya municipality had to do something to seriously tackle the devastation of the city's cultural heritage. The municipal administration plans to issue a bylaw for the protection of cultural heritage sites later this month.

"If the municipality administration fails to protect the city's cultural and historical legacy, Surabaya will lose its very identity," he said.

"The government has tried to promote local culture through various art performances but, unfortunately, there is no awareness of the significance of our cultural patrimony that has originated from outside Surabaya."

"It seems that they (the local government) only prioritize a handful of wealthy businesspeople at the expense of the public's interest," he said.

Heri said that there was little concern for the culture and history of Surabaya. When a village culture parade was held in conjunction with the official 711th anniversary of Surabaya, the local administration allowed the parade to be disrupted by traffic. In fact, the parade was intended to introduce the arts and history of Surabaya to the general public.

www.thejakartapost.com

Bill Cosby is a lot of things - comedian, actor, educator and philosopher.

A few days ago at ceremonies in Washington marking the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision known as Brown v. Board of Education, which ended mandated segregated schools in the United States, Cosby said things about the state of young black America that not many could get away with. Cosby can because he has put his money where his mouth is, donating millions to black colleges.

Reading Cosby's remarks causes one's jaw to drop. In an age when public figures often put their spoken or written words through the political correctness filter, Cosby was bluntly frank, excoriating black parents for failing to properly rear their children and saying they were the cause of high school dropout rates, crime and other social ills.

Here are a few sound bites as transcribed by Washington Post reporter Hamil Harris:

- "I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit. Where were you when he was 2? Where were you when he was 12? Where were you when he was 18 and how come you didn't know that he had a pistol? And where is the father?"

- ". . . we cannot blame white people . . . ."

- "People putting their clothes on backward: Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong? . . . People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack, isn't that a sign of something, or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up? Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up to the crack and got all type of needles (piercing) going through her body? What part of Africa did this come from? We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don't know a d--- thing about Africa."

- "With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap, and all of them are in jail. Brown versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem. We have got to take the neighborhood back. . . . They are standing on the corner and they can't speak English."

Cosby lamented that too many black parents "are not parenting. They are buying things for their kids - $500 sneakers for what? And won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics."

Seventy percent of black babies are born to unmarried parents. There's the answer to Cosby's question about where are the parents. At least one is not there physically (usually the father) and the other is trying to make enough money just to survive. The mother's ability to keep watch over her children is limited. This is mostly the legacy of the failed welfare state. Until welfare reform, children were paid when they had babies out of wedlock. It was a subsidy not unlike the incentives given to illegal immigrants to break our laws and get a check. If you subsidize what you claim not to want, you get more of it.

The other problem has been the "blame whitey" mentality of so-called "black leadership," many of whom have done well financially, thanks to their unbroken loyalty to the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, but who seem less interested in poor blacks getting theirs. As Mark Green has written for the National Center for Public Policy Research, "Ever since Republicans first passed civil rights legislation in 1866, opponents of more rights and freedom and equal status for blacks have lost every battle. They have, however, convinced blacks that conservatives seek to oppress us. That's another lie. The attention we give to hating white conservatives, who actually seek to uphold moral virtues and fight for our independence from government, keeps us from paying attention to our own problems."

School choice, which many liberal Democrats oppose with every fiber of their hypocritical beings, would help turn things around for black children. Instead of a peer pressure to conform to sex, body piercing, ridiculous clothes, academic failure and language few outside their friends can understand, positive peer pressure in private schools would give them the tools they need to succeed on their own and the pride and satisfaction that go with it.

Reruns of "The Bill Cosby Show" on the cable TV channel Nick at Night remind us what all functional families should look like. Viewers see a man and a woman who love each other and their kids. No government program can create such a family. But plenty of government programs and failed black "leadership" have contributed to the ones that Bill Cosby rightly and powerfully laments.

www.townhall.com

I have been reading a lot of editorials, and even QOD entries about the "negative" way the rest of society views and treats the modified. To be honest, I don't think I have ever experienced any of what others have gone through, not that I don't believe it is real, or that it indeed happened, I have just never been a victim of it. What I would like to write about now, is the experiences I have with my mods and others reactions to them.
First, I would like to describe briefly my modifications. Visibly, my ear lobes are currently stretched to somewhere between 00 and 7/16th, I have one inner conch piercing (12g), my navel, my nostril, a 4in long tattoo on my wrist, a half sleeve (in progress), a large butterfly on my back, a large chest tattoo with swallows and a sacred heart, a small tattoo on my tummy, and one on each leg (small "starter" tattoos), and my feet are done as well. Non-visibly, I have both my nipples pierced and a vertical hood piercing.

I would also like to point out that I live in a very liberal area of the country. I live in the San Francisco Bay area in California. As liberal as California tends to be, I find that this area is always just a bit more... ;-). Growing up here I have always seen so much diversity that tattoos and piercings didn't seem so "out there". I also was raised to understand that every person has a right to their own way of life. I find my self slack-jawed when I hear an account of prejudice or some one being harassed for being different. I mean, we're all different, right?

Well, anyways, back to the point. I have a lot of visible mods, more than some, less than others, but enough to let you know that I am different. I progressed slowly into the modification world with only a few small tattoos and my navel. From there I did have my nipples pierced, but that and my navel had to be removed when the pressure from my pregnancy became too much. Once I had my daughter, things were just too nuts and money was too tight to do much. However, in the last year, things have changed for the better for me and I have gotten most of my mods at this point. As I started to get more and more visible mods, I have noticed an increase of attention. However, I can not at this time think of a single negative experience related to them. Well, my mom gagged when she saw my ears, but that's my mom. I have gotten a lot of comment on how pretty my tattoos are, or my earings, sometimes it is just questions, you know, like do my earings go all the way through? A lot of dumb questions as well get fielded, but I figure if I get the information out there, people will be more likely to open their mind.

The best experience I have had so far, is at my work. There are a lot of people with work and modification issues. When I first applied for this job, I was interviewed on the phone and then hired. So, NO ONE saw me before they hired me, I was hired on merit alone. I am an accountant and while I am in California, the finance field is still pretty conservative. When my first day rolled around, I did not have as many mods as I do now, however I had a few, one being my nostril piercing. So I came in a bit incognito, long sleeve blouse and slacks. It really took a while for me to feel more comfortable, but now, as my mods have progressed, I have had nothing but supreme support from my boss and co workers. It's like they live vicariously through me. My boss says she would love a tattoo but she's chicken. I have even educated the people in my area about piercing guns. A co worker had her cartilage pierced and was having nothing but problems, and I kept telling her to go get the dam n jewelry changed and never go near a gun again. After months of torture, she did, and I thought she might kiss me! She said all the pain went away, the swelling went down, and now, months after that, she has had no further problems. Even the director here and our payroll manager came over to ask me about getting their ears pierced, and I told them about mall guns and what not, and a few weeks later, there they were at a piercing studio getting their ears pierced! The thought of it makes me crack up, 2 40-50ish women in business attire in there. It is wonderful. I have had such a wonderful experience with my modifications and though what people think and react is not even on my mind when I do these things, it is very rewarding to have a positive reaction. My boss has always told me that I was the best person for the job and I handle myself professionally at all time, therefore, she really doesn't care what I have on my face, in my body, on my head...etc. She says that has not hing to do with the job. And she's right.

I have always felt different, as most of us do. In this cookie cutter world it is a difficult task to make your individuality known, and to be held down or admonished for it, is a sad, sad thing. It makes me angry and a bit scared that my daughter, if she chooses a similar path, could be held back or pushed into conformity. Conformity has it's place, but not very many. I would be so angry as a parent if a school or place of business discriminated against her because of what she looked like or what kind of jewelry she had. Aren't there more pressing issues in the world than those types of things, aren't there? I would think a school principal would be more worried about teaching kids, and his budget, and the kids that are being beaten or neglected at home, than if a kid, with their parents permission, has a pierced nose, eyebrow, ear, whatever it may be. They want parents more involved, but then they don't. But this is not what my editorial is on, though I could go on...

Sometimes I have felt maybe a bit alienated when I am in a group of people my age and older, with no mods. This usually happens with my daughter's group functions, either at school or outside events. The soccer moms sometimes give me the "look". However, these are not people I would hang out with or normally care about anyway, so their looks don't mean much. My daughter's teachers and day care providers, absolutely loves my tattoos and the piercings they can see. One even has a son my age that has lots of tats, so we chat a lot about it. My daughter's friends love them, I think I am the "coolest" mom in the school! I don't know if my attitude towards negative people, or my geographical location, or how I carry myself, or what it is that has created so many positive reactions, but I am grateful for every one. There are unmodded people out there who are open minded and non judgmental. I am not sure how you find them, but it gives me a bit of hope for not just "us" but for diff erent people everywhere.

www.bmezine.com

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- If you're under 18, you may have to take a parent along if you want another body piercing.

A new state law requires parental permission for the piercings. Before it was signed into law by Gov. Ed Rendell on Friday, the law only required parental permission for tattoos.

Under the piercing law, a tattoo shop faces a third-degree misdemeanor for piercing someone under 18 if a parent or guardian isn't present and doesn't provide consent. The maximum penalty is one year in jail and a fine of $2,500.

Lawmakers said they are most concerned about pierced navels, tongues and noses. But the law also means that people under 18 now must take a parent if they want to get an ear pierced.

www.thewgalchannel.com

PHILADELPHIA (KYW 1060) It's now law in Pennsylvania for children 18 years of age or younger to have their parent present to get a body piercing.

Philadelphia already has its own law in place regarding teens needing parental consent to get a body piercing or tattoo. And many tattoo and body piercing shops in the city just won't touch minors period, even with their parent's permission.

James Webber with Infinite Body Piercing says there's a reason for that:

"For the most part, most reputable shops are not going to touch minors. There's really too much of a risk and too much of a liability, and it's really not worth it."

Under the new state piercing law, a tattoo shop faces a 3rd degree misdemeanor for piercing someone under 18 if a parent or guardian isn't present and doesn't give their consent. The maximum penalty is one year in jail and a fine of $2,500.

kyw.com

So said the manager of a York tattoo parlor about a new state law.

Having a parent or guardian sign a consent form and then stay for their son or daughter's tattoo or body piercing is just smart business, workers at some York County shops said.
Now it's also the law.

Several York County tattoo and piercing shops already had similar policies in place before Gov. Ed Rendell signed a bill into law Friday making it illegal for a shop to tattoo or pierce someone under 18 unless a parent or guardian is present and gives consent.

"It's better that way so you don't have to deal with any lawsuits or angry parents," said Chad "Lucky" Miller, a tattoo artist at High Voltage Tattoos & Body Piercing in Red Lion.

"Kids, a lot of times, aren't mature enough to make their own decisions ... to keep something on their body for the rest of their lives," Miller said.

High Voltage's policy for parents is that "we make sure that they're here, to make sure their kids are all right," he said.

Pokey Beck, part-owner of Skin Script in York, thought the new law would weed out the dishonest owners from legitimate ones. Still, he wondered why so much emphasis was being placed on body piercing, because piercings are far easier to remove than tattoos.

"If you don't like it, if you don't agree with it, take it out," he said.

Skin Script implemented piercing release and consent forms in late 2003.

"The parent has to physically be here," Beck said.

Jeremy Stine, manager of Machine Heads Tattoo Parlor in York, said, "That was a law that everybody knew was coming — you don't mess with someone's kids."

Stine said he didn't think the law was going to decrease business. Machine Heads already has parents sign consent forms and be present during tattooing and body piercing, he said.

Jim Rossell, owner of Built to Last Tattoos on West Market Street in York, said his shop already had a policy against tattooing those under 16, for insurance reasons. Though he's made a few exceptions in the past, those tattoos weren't covered by his insurer, he said.

"It's great," Rossell said of the new law.


ydr.com

SALEM, ORE. - A new study shows that from 150 to 175 Oregon prison inmates, mostly men, are raped each year, well below the national average.
The figures come to about 2 percent of the Oregon inmate population, against about 13 percent nationally.

"It's still alarming. We're obviously concerned," said Max Williams, director of the state Corrections Department. "In our opinion, one rape in this system is too many."

An organization called the Prison Rape Elimination Policy Group, is developing a new approach toward combatting sexual assaults in the prison system, aimed at zero tolerance, Williams said.

He said the approach is to encourage victims to confidentially report the attacks and seek medical attention and counseling.

He said about 10 percent of the rapes per year get reported to prison managers in the 12,300-inmate corrections system.

He said humiliation, shame and fear of reprisals often stop prisoners from speaking up.

"I think these people are subject to the same kinds of emotions that any victims would experience," Williams said.

Researchers working on behalf of the Corrections Department conducted random-sample surveys of 236 men and 97 women at 11 state prisons.

The study also looked at high-risk behaviors. Inmates were asked about receiving and giving tattoos, body piercings, IV drug use and sexual activity, both consensual and nonconsensual.

Among surveyed male inmates, 7.3 percent said they received a tattoo in the past year, 6.2 percent engaged in sexual activity, about a quarter of it forced. Another 3.25 percent underwent a body piercing and 2.5 percent said they used IV drugs.

Among the female inmates, 4.7 percent reported sexual activity, nearly all consensual, 4.1 percent said they had received a tattoo, 3.25 percent underwent a body piercing and 1.1 percent said they had used IV drugs.

"Knowing about and admitting that high-risk behavior exists in prisons is the first step to preventing HIV infection." Williams said.

He said the newly formed High-Risk Inmate Behavior Policy Group will meet this month to look at the survey findings.

He said the group hopes to come up with ideas for reducing the risks of transmitting blood-borne pathogens, including Hepatitis C and HIV, through tattooing, body piercing, IV drug use and consensual sex.

Fully 95 percent of all inmates are destined to be released at some point, he said, "so there is a tremendous health interest in trying to address these health issues within the prisons."

www.katu.com

Allergic Contact Dermatitis May Be the Cause

That itchy rash you get when you wear earrings might not be because you bought them from the sales rack; and the redness on your finger when you wear your wedding ring is not a "sign" that your marriage is in trouble. You may be one of the million of individuals who have allergic contact dermatitis. Look around you and at what you're wearing. You may find the cause of your discomfort: you may have a metal allergy.
Speaking at the American Academy of Dermatology's 2003 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, dermatologist Joseph F. Fowler, Jr., MD, spoke about allergic contact dermatitis and the various metals that can trigger it.

"Allergic contact dermatitis accounts for a significant number of visits to a dermatologist's office and is usually caused by substances that come into contact with the skin," said Dr. Fowler. "Metal is one of the most common culprits of allergic contact dermatitis especially due to the popular trend of body piercing which can lead to irritation and rashes in not only the earlobes, but upper portions of the ears, lips, nose, tongue, navel, breasts and genitalia as well."

After poison ivy, metal allergy is the most common form of allergic contact dermatitis. In the past, women have been more susceptible to metal allergy than men due to the amount of jewelry worn, but the numbers of males wearing jewelry is increasing and so is the incidence of metal allergy in this population.

Symptoms of metal allergy usually occur between six to 24 hours following exposure and will dissipate if exposure to the allergen is eliminated. The affected skin may become red, swollen, and blisters often appear, which may break, leaving crusts and scales. Later the skin may darken and become leathery and cracked. The rash is generally confined to the site of contact, although severe cases may extend outside the contact area, especially if the allergen is on your fingers and then transmitted to the face, eyelids or genitals.

"It's important to note that allergic contact dermatitis, such as metal allergy, can be difficult to distinguish from other rashes," stated Dr. Fowler. "However, dermatologists can determine clues about the nature of a rash based on its location on the body and the patient's lifestyle and work habits."

Another way dermatologists can discover the source of an allergy is through patch testing. During patch testing, small amounts of possible allergens are applied to the skin on strips of tape and then removed after two days. An allergy shows up as a small red spot at the site of the patch and a dermatologist notes what the patient is most sensitive to.

Common Triggers Are Nickel, Cobalt, and Chromate

Nickel
The most common of all metal allergens is nickel, which is found in costume jewelry, clothing ornamentation, such as zippers, buttons and snaps, and virtually all common metal objects. Approximately 16 percent of all individuals who are patch tested for allergies turn out to be allergic to nickel. Because sweat allows the metal ions to be better absorbed into the skin, areas on the body where nickel is present and where sweating may occur can see an increase in the severity of the dermatitis.
The most common location of nickel dermatitis is on the earlobes from earrings containing the metal. This reaction may start with the needle used to pierce the ears and continue as individuals begin to change their earrings daily. Dermatologists suggest that individuals with an allergy to nickel wear only nickel-free or plastic earrings.

Trace amounts of metal are found in food and people with sensitivity to metal can experience dermatitis.

In particular, beans, lettuce and whole-grain foods are high in nickel, but most people do not ingest enough of them to develop a serious rash.
"While nickel dermatitis is associated most often with costume jewelry or watchbands, which have a high concentration of nickel, it can occur with finer jewelry which is usually worn for prolonged periods, for example a wedding ring," said Dr. Fowler. "If sentimental reasons prevent you from not wearing an item on a daily basis, the best way to prevent the reaction is to have it plated in a non-allergic metal, such as platinum."

Cobalt
Cobalt is also a common allergen that is found in many of the same items that contain nickel, thereby making this allergen difficult to pinpoint. It is also found naturally in soil, dust and seawater. In the home, it is most often found in the blue pigments in porcelain, glass, pottery or ceramics, as well as blue and green water color paints and crayons. In the workplace, cobalt is found in cement, bricks and mortars.
"Combined allergic reactions are not uncommon and represent simultaneous specific sensations to each individual metals as opposed to being reactions to the combination," stated Dr. Fowler. "Whenever possible, patients are encouraged to avoid the allergen, use plastic or wooden items, such as kitchen utensils or scissors, and wear protective clothing and a face mask at their workplace."

Chromate
Chromate is another dermatitis-causing metal, which is also found in cement, but more commonly used as a leather tanning agent. "Shoe dermatitis" may result from leather containing chromates and patients should change their shoes and socks throughout the day especially if they are allergic or if there is excess perspiration.

In addition, some matches contain chromates and touching unlit matches can contaminate fingers. The fumes from a lit match and the charred match head also contain small amounts of chromate.

"When a metal allergy is suspected, it's important for people to seek the medical advice of a dermatologist especially since nickel, cobalt and chromate can all be found in some common metal objects that people may touch every day," said Dr. Fowler. "If avoidance of an item isn't possible, your dermatologist can recommend some other treatment options and lifestyle changes that can help patients live and work without the itchy rash of allergic contact dermatitis."

allergies.about.com

Once reserved for punk rockers, body piercing has hit the mainstream.

People are sporting jewelry in a wide range of body parts including noses, navels, eyebrows and tongues. The increase in body piercing is blamed for a steep rise in one particular allergy.

About 15 percent of Americans suffer from nickel allergies. The condition can occur at any age and typically appears as an itchy, dry, red skin rash.

Decorative devices, made of a variety of materials, are often used in piercing procedures. Costume jewelry is generally made of alloys that contain different metals.

Nickel, cobalt and chrome can be found in costume-grade rings, studs and barbells used in body piercing. Those alloys can cause allergies for people who wear the jewelry. This causes a person to become sensitized to nickel. Once a person is sensitized, future exposure to nickel may cause a rash.

Between 9 percent and 48 percent of all people may become sensitized to nickel at some point in their lives -- making nickel the most common form of contact allergy.



The European Environmental and Contact Dermatitis Research Group conducted a study to provide the basis for new regulations aimed at preventing nickel allergy.

Patients who were sensitized to nickel participated in the study. Twenty non-nickel sensitive patients were used as controls. Patch testing on the back and ear lobe was used to test skin reactions to a wide variety of nickel-containing materials commonly used in jewelry and clothing accessories.

Ten of the materials produced a significant number of reactions. This includes brass and sterling silver alloys that were gold, silver or chromium-plated, as well as nickel silver and white gold that had more than 6 percent nickel content. Stainless steel was also tested. Of the commonly used stainless steel products tested in the study, none produced a reaction. Therefore, stainless steels were considered safe. Some alloys, though, can release nickel when in contact with human sweat and cause reactions in people who have sensitive skin.

The only way to prevent a nickel reaction is to avoid nickel. In the study, researchers found the objects most likely to induce a reaction were earrings, watches, bracelets, buttons, rings, zippers, necklaces and eyeglass frames.

A metal object suspected as a possible source of nickel can easily be tested with the dimethylglyoxime test. A solution is rubbed on the object and depending on the color change, you can tell if there is nickel in the product. A pharmacist can advise you on where to purchase this test.

www.news8austin.com

For the first time, Oregon’s prison system is shedding light on how many prisoners get raped behind bars.

Findings from a study released Thursday indicate that 150 to 175 inmates become rape victims each year.

Virtually all of the victims are men, according to the study.

In context, the survey data suggests that less than 2 percent of Oregon prisoners are victimized each year. That is far below the estimated national average of 13 percent.

“It’s still alarming. We’re obviously concerned,” said Max Williams, director of the state Corrections Department. “In our opinion, one rape in this system is too many.”

A work group, called the Prison Rape Elimination Policy Group, is developing a new, unified approach toward combatting sexual assaults in the prison system, Williams said. The basic idea is to “reinforce a culture of zero tolerance.”

Stronger efforts also will be made to encourage rape victims to confidentially report such attacks and seek medical attention and counseling, Williams said.

Most prison rapes don’t get reported. As a result, they also don’t get investigated, prosecuted or punished.

Typically, Williams said, fewer than 10 rapes per year get reported to prison managers across the 12,300-inmate corrections system.

“What we are obviously concerned about is that this study suggests that there are a number (of rapes) that go unreported,” he said.

Humiliation, shame and fear of reprisals — factors that deter rape victims from going to police in mainstream society — also stop many victimized prisoners from speaking up, according to the prisons chief.

“I think these people are subject to the same kinds of emotions that any victims would experience,” Williams said.

The nature of prison society, where inmates live together in tight quarters and “snitching” is seen as a violation of the convict code, may further deter victims from reporting sexual assaults to corrections officers.

“I think, obviously, the close proximity of the incarceration setting and concern about the possibility of a reprisal by the perpetrator would be one factor,” Williams said.

Researchers working on behalf of the Corrections Department conducted random-sample surveys of 236 men and 97 women at 11 state prisons.

Besides providing groundbreaking data on the prevalence of prison rape, the study also delved into various high-risk behaviors within the prison population. Inmates were asked about receiving and giving tattoos, body piercings, IV drug use and sexual activity, both consensual and nonconsensual.

Among surveyed male inmates, 7.3 percent said they received a tattoo in the past year; 6.2 percent engaged in sexual activity (roughly one-fourth of that total involved forced sex); 3.25 percent underwent a body piercing; and 2.5 percent said they used IV drugs.

Among the female inmates, 4.7 percent reported sexual activity (nearly all consensual); 4.1 percent said they had received a tattoo; 3.25 percent underwent a body piercing; and 1.1 percent said they had used IV drugs.

Thomas Bruner, executive director of the Cascade AIDS Project, a Portland-based advocacy group, praised corrections officials for commissioning the study.

“We applaud the Corrections Department for conducting this survey, asking the tough questions and taking a hard look at the results,” he said. “Knowing about and admitting that high-risk behavior exists in prisons is the first step to preventing HIV infection.”

Williams said a recently formed panel called the High-Risk Inmate Behavior Policy Group will meet for the first time later this month to look at the survey findings.

Made up of corrections health officials and public health experts, the group is expected to come up with ideas for reducing the risks of transmitting blood-borne pathogens, including Hepatitis C and HIV, through tattooing, body piercing, IV drug use and consensual sex.

Curbing those risky behaviors behind prison bars will pay future dividends for public health, Williams said.

Fully 95 percent of all inmates are destined to be released into Oregon communities, he said, “so there is a tremendous health interest in trying to address these health issues within the prisons.”

news.statesmanjournal.com

For many teens and college students, summer is a time to rest, recharge the batteries and just kick back and enjoy life and sweet, fleeting youth.

For others, summer is a time to trade in school books for paychecks.

And with resources ranging from the newspaper classified ads to the Web, today's intrepid teen can find work anywhere from a McDonald's to Alaska's Denali National Park.

Kids surfing the Web en route to their school's site might instead wind up at the myriad Web pages dedicated to job searches, sites like Bill Berg's Coolworks.com, which features job opportunities that aren't quite as run-of-the-mill as, say, baby-sitting.

"'Want ads on steroids' is how I think of it," Berg says of the Gardiner, Mont., business he founded in 1995. "In a lot of cases many of the jobs are hospitality positions, but you're doing them at Denali - or the Grand Canyon or Yosemite. Or in a lot of cases they start out (as entry level) but they end up with some kind of seasonal management opportunity, or maybe you're supervising a restaurant at Yosemite, Denali, Yellowstone."

Berg says that while some of the employers he works with hire high school-age teens, most are looking for college students.

"Most of the companies that we work with are destination-type resort employers, and just by the definition of their locations, they have to provide housing, and they can't put minors in company housing."

For Thomas Baker, a high school junior in Greenville, S.C., the quest for a job turned into much more than a summer mowin