Safety comes first for the artist. Regulations find favor with local parlor operators

With support from local tattoo parlors, Monterey County supervisors today are expected to approve new regulations to license their operations, a pre-emptive move that anticipates statewide legislation.

Tattoo artists couldn't be more excited about the idea.

"It's really good, the industry needs it," said tattoo artist Kurt Brux. "We're dealing with airborne and blood-borne pathogens, and you have to be cautious about that."

Brux, owner of Kurt's West Coast Tattoo on North Main Street in Salinas, said the proposed ordinance will protect customers as well as artists.

There are people drawing tattoos "out on the street, in houses, garages, or wherever they can go, and that's not very sanitary," he said. "You can't really disinfect a carpet or a sofa."

Some of the practices mandated by the ordinance will be new to Brux, but for the most part his practices have been safe for years, he said.

"We scrub, we cover everything with plastic so there's no chance of cross-contamination," Brux said. "We pretty much do everything already, but (the county) just wants to enforce it, that's all."

Lack of resources has prevented the California Department of Health Services from implementing statewide regulations, which were supposed to be in place by 1997. But the California Conference of Local Health Officers completed draft body-art regulations and submitted them to state health officials in 1998. The document served as a basis for Monterey County to draft the local ordinance, said Karen Schkolnick, supervising environmental health specialist with the Monterey County Department of Health.

The parlors don't even seem to mind the price tag.

Individual artists will have to pay $35 to apply for a permit and $105 per year to have an operator card, similar to those displayed by hairdressers. Tattoo parlor proprietors will have to pay $35 to apply for a permit, and $210 per year for the permit itself.

"It's a good idea," said Lisa Avila, a body piercer at Studio 13 Tattoo and Piercing in Salinas. "Not only does it keep us on our P's and Q's, we keep our shops up to par, and it gives us the opportunity to have credentials in the business, to let people know we're serious. And the money goes to a good cause, the Health Department."

www.californianonline.com

When it comes to body art, tattoo fan Miranda Griffiths is sure of one thing - no skull-and-crossbones, thank-you very much.

"I see a lot of people that have got things like bloody faces," said the Washington, D.C., artist, who sports self-designed stained-glass window tattoos on her lower legs. "When they get older, there's definitely going to be a lot of funny-looking older people walking around.

"Hopefully I won't ever have some flying eyeball on fire on me and regret it when I'm 80."

Griffiths, 20, browsed body art and mingled with 200 tattoo artists from around the world Saturday at the Montreal Art Tattoo Show.

With artists from as far away as French Polynesia and Japan, promoter Pascal Richard expected attendance at the three-day event that wraps up Sunday to top 5,000.

"(Tattoos) aren't marginalized anymore, Richard said. "It's in fashion and people are used to it.

"There's a wave of young people using it to express themselves more than ever."

Although heavily pierced punk kids mingled easily with middle-aged managers at the convention's 84 kiosks, some artists said tattoo stigma remains.

In June, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Justin Miller was told to cover up the multicoloured tattoos on his left arm after umpires ruled they were a distraction to hitters.

David Green, 35, an artist from Sacred Heart Tattoo in Vancouver, said Miller was one example of how body art gets a bad rap.

"It's a little ridiculous," Green said. "They should be concentrating on his game, not his arm."

"Mainstream media portrays tattoos with less of a (negative light), but you can still get the same old prejudice."

People had less sympathy for Montrealer David Lefebvre-Dupre, 26, who said last week that the tear tattoo on his left cheek keeps him from finding a job and he's asking medicare to pay the bill of several hundred dollars for its removal.

"The permanence is part of the strength and beauty of tattoos," says the artist known only as Safwan. "It's a responsibility you take on. You can't then go and ask other people to take on that responsibility."

Although artists often get requests for facial tattoos in cities like Montreal and Toronto, most studios refuse.

"Polynesian or Tahitian cultures do it but if you research it, its significance is about taking away the person's humanity," said Safwan, 32, who works at the Imago tattoo studio in Montreal. "I don't want to take away from anyone, I want to add to them."

But for artists outside major cities, such requests are few and far between.

Dave Munro, 31, an artist based in St. John's, Nfld., said nautical designs still rule in Atlantic Canada.

"I worked in Toronto before and it was more icon based, like crosses or fantasy images. But in St. John's, it's still about the water because that's what's meaningful there.

"As sterotypical as it sounds, it's the reality. Your father had a schooner on his arm, so you do too."

www.canada.com

A new law that went into effect this month prohibits minors younger than 14 from getting piercing or tattoos.

Children ages 14 through 17 can't get body art without parental consent -- except for piercing the earlobe.

Republican Senator, Denton Darrington of Declo, and Representative, Leon smith of Twin Falls, say the bill is the first step in setting health standards in parlors.

But some don't like the law. Marti Calabretta, a Democratic senator from Osborne, says it's frivolous for the government to step into family issues.

www.kpvi.com

Gov. Fletcher says he's asked the Kentucky State Police to reconsider its policy prohibiting troopers from sporting visible tattoos. [ tattoo policy ]

The governor says he asked State Police Commissioner Mark Miller to review the agency's policy regarding tattoos Friday morning.

But Fletcher did not definitively say what the policy's fate would be.

A new regulation in trooper qualifications taking effect this month prohibits cadets with visible tattoos from becoming troopers. Veteran troopers are also prohibited from having visible tattoos.

But Fletcher says he does "not have a problem with tattoos."

State parks workers may have tattoos, but they must not be offensive. Fletcher says no state employee has been fired for having a visible tattoo.

www.wate.com

HUNDREDS of Merseysiders are lining up to have a tattoo in the style of their hero Wayne Rooney.

The Everton and England superstar had a Celtic cross etched on to his right arm at the DMC tattoo parlour in Warbreck Moor, Aintree.

Since we gave readers a sneak preview of the tattoo in yesterday's ECHO, staff at the parlour have been deluged with calls from people who want a copycat tattoo.



Liverpool's youngest tattooist Dwaynne McGuinness (pictured below) was given the honour of taking his needle to Wayne's arm.

Dwaynne, 18, admitted he couldn't believe it when he saw the world's latest football sensation walk through the door of the shop.

He said: "I heard a customer saying that there was someone in the shop who looked like Wayne Rooney.

"I looked out into the waiting area and I saw it was definitely him.

"He already knew what kind of tattoo he wanted and I took him into the back of the shop to do it for him."



Despite going under the tattooist's needle for more than two and a half hours Rooney didn't flinch and was described as a "model customer" by staff.

Dwaynne said: "He didn't flinch and he was very friendly to everyone.

"He even posed for a picture with everyone and he would be welcome back here any time."

Everton team-mate Alan Stubbs has already had a tattoo done at DMC and the Blues centre half took Rooney to the parlour when he was asked where he had had his done.


There are many different inter-pretations of the symbolism of the Celtic cross.

Usually it features a circle which is believed by many to represent the moon.

Celtic expert Stephen Walker explained that the cross had close links with Ireland thanks to Saint Patrick.

He said: "There is a legend of how St Patrick was preaching to some soon-to-be converted heathens and he was shown a sacred standing stone that was marked with a circle that was symbolic of the moon goddess.

"Patrick made the mark of a Latin cross through the circle and blessed the stone, making the first celtic cross.

"This legend implies that the saint was willing to make ideas and practices that were formerly Druid into Christian ideas and practices."

Rooney is due back at the store in the next few weeks as Dwaynne finishes off his masterpiece on his star customer.

Dwaynne added: "We have had Alan Stubbs in and the boxer Paul Smith but Wayne is definitely the most famous person we have had.

"Since people saw his new tattoo we have had hundreds of phone calls from people asking to have the same one done."

icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk

The Columbus Health Department says people using guitar strings dipped in printer-cartridge ink to make home-made tattoos risk contracting a dangerous skin infection.

The department says it's seeing a trend of home-made tattoo parties or people giving themselves the tattoos.

Three people have contracted an antibiotic-resistant skin infection this way. If not treated, the infection can lead to life-threatening bone and blood infections.

It also can spread through direct physical contact with someone who has it.

Health officials are asking that anyone with the infection report it to health authorities and name the person who gave them the tattoo.

The department says anyone giving tattoos without a license will be charged with failure to secure a license, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.

www.onnnews.com

A former drug addict who tattooed a large teardrop on his face 10 years ago wants the Quebec Health Insurance Board to pay for its removal so he can get a job.

David Lefebvre-Dupre, 26, called the health insurace board because he doesn't have the hundreds of dollars necessary to remove the tatoo. The board has paid for tattoo removal in the past for at leat five individuals.



For the claim to be accepted, the operation must be medically required, either on a physical or psychological level. Lefebvre-Dupre said he got the tatoo during a time when he was disturbed.

An anonymous donor who saw his story on TVA gave him $150 toward the procedure. When interviewed Lefebvre-Dupre, said he was happy to receive the donation, but was disappointed that more people watching the channel haven't come forward with money.

www.canada.com

FRESH from receiving an offer of Cambodian citizenship, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has been given a gift of a different kind in Thailand when she had a large Asian tiger tattooed onto her back.

The Oscar-winning star flew into Bangkok by private jet for a rendezvous with artist Sompong Kanphai, who engraved a 30cm roaring tiger on her back, the Nation newspaper reported.
A front-page photograph in the English-language daily showed a smiling Jolie, her hair in a bun and white t-shirt at her midriff, as Sompong inked the elaborate design into her skin with a long needle.

The artist told the paper he chanted an ancient hymn to bless the tattoo to ensure that its bearer would be rich and powerful.

It is the second time Jolie has visited Bangkok to get a tattoo. She reportedly flew into the Thai capital Wednesday with her adopted Cambodian son Maddox.

Days earlier Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen offered her Cambodian citizenship in honour of her humanitarian work and because she adopted a son in the kingdom.

The 28-year-old actress, who serves as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency, fell in love with Cambodia when shooting the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider at the famed Angkor Wat temple complex and adopted Maddox after meeting him at an orphanage in November the same year.

Jolie, who is a single mother after divorcing actor Billy Bob Thornton, won a best supporting actress Academy Award in 2000 for her role in Girl, Interrupted.

www.heraldsun.news.com.au

STUDENTS with rings through their nose, tongue or belly button could be a menace - but only to themselves.



Decoration: Victoria Luxton shows her piercings.

A US study has found young people with body piercings were more inclined to engage in risk-taking behaviour and less likely to attend church.

Pierced youths were more than twice as likely smoke regularly and use drugs and almost twice as likely to have had more than six sexual partners.

But body piercer Victoria Luxton, 21, said she was living proof that piercing did not turn innocents to the dark side.

Ms Luxton boasts 19 piercings: five ear, three nose, lip, navel, tongue, conch (ear cartilage), upper labret, both nipples and several hidden piercings. But she attends her local Anglican church every Sunday.

"I don't smoke and I don't do drugs, but I go to church on Sunday," she said.

"Judging by our clientele you can't generalise about people with body piercings. It is pretty mainstream now -- most young people have at least one."

Ms Luxton said young women piercing their navel was the most regular procedure, but tongue and nipple piercings were also frequent.

"Navels, it is just obscene how many we do of them," she said.

"Teenage girls love it because it gives them an excuse to wear short tops and low pants."

The US study of 450 university students, by Texas Tech University, is printed in this month's The Journal of Adolescent Health.

The study found:

THIRTY-two per cent of students had one or more body piercings.

MORE than half had never been pierced and 13 per cent had been pierced but later removed the jewellery.

ALMOSTY three-quarters of women were pierced.

A LITTLE over a quarter of men were pierced.

HIGH-EAR cartilage was the most common form of piercing (53 per cent), followed by the navel (38 per cent) and tongue (13 per cent).

ABOUT 10 per cent had "intimate" piercings, through nipples or their genitals.

Pierced youths were also more likely to seek new and exciting experiences even if the situation was unconventional or illegal.

news.com.au

Gawaine Ross held out his arm, unperturbed as Maria Mercuri deftly covered his forearm with an intense-smelling evil green paste.

"You gotta get some hearts in there," he said as Mercuri added swirls to the lotus pattern quickly taking shape.

"We'll get you a woman yet, Gawaine," Mercuri said.

Mercuri, 35, is a henna artist, a practitioner of the ancient art of mehandi. Using a paste of dried henna leaves, she marks her clients' bodies with patterns that will dry to a dark chestnut, staying in place for up to a month with proper care.

Henna art is more than just "tattoo lite" or a temporary piece of body art. For thousands of years, its been used as a ritual for brides, a send-off for warriors, a method to honor the gods for sacred celebrations.

Though associated with Indian and Muslim cultures in the present day, its earliest use has been traced to the Babylonians, Assyrians, Sumerians and Canaanites.

Henna takes best to thicker skin, as evidenced by its popularity on the hands and feet, where it also benefits from increased surface heat. Mercuri, a Marlborough resident, said people often hesitate before shaking her hand when it is decorated with henna art for fear that the intense designs will be transferred to their own skin.

There isn't a lot of danger of that -- at least when the henna is dry.

Mercuri picked up henna five years ago on a whim. She had always been interested in body adornment such as piercing and tattooing, and was intrigued enough by the idea of temporary tattoos to pick up a commercial kit.

The results, she said, were "really bad."

"I started making henna myself, making the paste with essential oils, doing my own research," Mercuri said. "I've always done a lot of things with my hands -- making jewelry, leather work. And I realized that I was good at this, and could have fun doing it."

At first, she just decorated her friends with henna tattoos. Then she branched out, setting up booths at holistic and Renaissance fairs and occasionally setting up shop at What It Is! in Clinton, a tattoo and piercing shop owned by Hanna Austin, a friend from Framingham State College. It branched into a part-time business, which Mercuri dubbed "Ancient Fire."

She's found that fairs draw a mixed crowd. There are those that respect the henna and others who are just drunk.

"I've had men offer to drop trou to get hennaed," Mercuri said. "I say sure, let's see...I've never had anyone take me up on the offer."

Clients choose a design from one of several books, culled from Internet sites and Mercuri's own research. They may be intrigued by a particular type -- Celtic and tribal designs are especially popular, as are Japanese characters -- or need help getting lucky.

Hands are popular, as are trailing vines down arms. At Renaissance fairs, with the low-cut costumes, she's hennaed a lot of cleavage.

"I did a snake on a woman," Mercuri recalled. "She was having some problems in the bedroom for a while. I did a snake on her and she had the best nookie of her life that night!"

Henna and sex is not an uncommon connection. In India, the "Night of the Henna" is an established bridal celebration when the bride is adorned with elaborate designs the night before her wedding. Frequently the groom's initials are hidden in the design.

"The marriage cannot be consummated until he finds where the initials are hidden on her body," Mercuri said.

While temporary, henna is not a tattoo to take lightly. First of all, there's a time commitment: while the actual application takes only minutes, depending on the design, it needs time to dry. Hair dryers can be used to hasten the process, but it still takes a while before the designs can be safely touched -- especially if the feet are hennaed.

"You really don't want to get it on your clothes," Mercuri said. "Once you get henna on something, forget it: it's not coming off."

There is little danger in henna itself, except for people with skin allergies. There is, however, a henna trend that can lead to dangerous chemical burns and scarring: Black Henna, which uses black hair dye. Mercuri showed a photo from an Internet henna site showing a young boy with a scarred arm, a permanent souvenir of a Black Henna tattoo.

"There's a BIG difference between what I do, which is natural, and Black Henna," Mercuri said.

Mercuri generally can be found on the weekends at various fairs but plans to make a return visit to What It Is! on Friday, July 30, from 3-8 p.m. Some tattoo aficionados might look down on henna's temporary, painless nature, but Austin appreciates that not everyone wants their first walk on the skin art side to be permanent.

"I've had a lot of people come to me to get a henna tattoo as a temporary way of seeing how they sit on their skin," Mercuri said.

Case in point is Ross. A Marlborough resident, artist and poet, he has flirted with the idea of a tattoo for years.

"You look like you're frosting a cake," he said as Mercuri dabbed away.

"It's kind of like that, but you're frosting a person instead," Mercuri said. "And you don't want to lick your fingers afterwards."

www.dailynewstranscript.com

Some people describe the act of plunging a needle into flesh to create a permanent tattoo as nothing short of being a divine experience. The joining of man, art and culture in one sharp point hearkens to traditional tribal tattooing rituals of the past, but the only difference is that these days, rituals are being replaced with convenience. People can now walk into nearly any tattoo shop and pick out a cultural identity of their choice and spell it out on their skin, all within 30 minutes or less.

The popularity of Asian-influenced tattoos in the mainstream is undeniable -- dragons and swords have been a fashion staple for years, but a new wave of interest in tattoos with Asian writing, characters or words have created a veritable alphabet soup out of ink and flesh.

Some of the more common tattoos involve words of empowerment spelled out in Chinese characters that mean “strength” or in Japanese kanji like current Denver Nugget’s star Marcus Camby’s proclamation of “to strive” on his right arm.

“The use of kanji has always been popular since the 1980s because there’s always a desire for something different. It’s the allure of exoticism,” said San Jose-based tattoo artist Horitaka.

But like Asian-influenced clothing, tattoos with Asian characters are saturating pop culture and becoming the latest fad for cultural consumption. Vending machines dispense temporary tattoos with Chinese writing for children and neighborhood walk-in tattoo shops carry a large selection of Asian characters.

The most popular form of tattoos with Asian writing is something Horitaka calls a strictly American tendency -- tattooing one’s own name onto the body.

A small kanji character that translates to “Haru” sits on Amy Wakayama’s right hipbone. In the summer of 1998, when “tattoos were the rage,” Wakayama summoned her language skills learned from past Japanese classes and chose the character because it represented her middle name “Harue” and her father’s name “Haruo.”

But for others, getting a self-referential tattoo is a very personal attempt to reclaim their diminishing heritages.

Ken Arata, 25, is planning to get his family name tattooed down his spine in kanji to show that his Japanese heritage is the backbone of his existence even though he does not speak the language.

Megan Carriero, 20, is South Korean but she was adopted at a young age by a European American couple in Connecticut who kept reminding her of her Korean name, which means “Silky Girl.” The tattoo on her lower back is the Korean characters for “Silky Girl,” which she researched by rifling through her adoption papers and then showed to the tattoo artist to have etched into her skin.

“Not that I want to combine both my lives, because I am who I am. I am American, but from Asian descent. It’s just my way of giving tribute, in a way, and remembering that I am originally from Asia,” said Carriero.

Because of her own experience, Carriero said that she finds the current popularity of tattoos with Asian characters silly for people to get unless they have a real connection with the culture.

But Nicole Conley defends her decision to get the Chinese words for “Year of the Ram” and “Year of the Rooster” tattooed on the front of each shoulder next to her collarbone. Even though she is not Asian, she has a love for the culture. And her tattoos are not just fashion accessories, but are symbols of a special bond between herself and her husband who has matching tattoos.

Still, Conley said that when Asian Americans see her tattoos, they give her a “quick quiz” and seem pleased as long as she knows the true meaning of the characters.

In his 13 years of experience as a tattoo artist in Los Angeles, Kirk Alley estimated that one out of every 20 customers goes to a walk-in tattoo shop to get a tattoo with Asian characters, and from that percentile most of those are Caucasians and African Americans. He attributes this popularity to a “monkey see, monkey do” attitude.

However, the popularity of these tattoos has created another problem — nonsensical writing and unintentionally funny denotations.

“The Chinese-Japanese written language is very complex. Unless the tattoo artist speaks and writes the language, it’s impossible to translate correctly,” said Alley. “One wrong brush stroke and it says something completely different.”

Stories about tattoo artists wreaking revenge on nasty customers by inking derogatory phrases like “slut” and “ugly” float from one tattoo shop to another like urban legends, but Horitaka has seen a lot of really messed up kanji that declare gibberish.

Whether for cultural or fashionable reasons, he has advice for the burgeoning group of young people scrambling to get their ethnic phrase inked in their skin: do your research.

“People come [into the tattoo shop] and say, ‘I got this off the internet,’” said Horitaka. “Well, the internet is a toilet bowl. Others come in and say, ‘We were at a Chinese restaurant and someone helped us translate this.’ Well, did you tip well?”

news.ncmonline.com

People with visible tattoos will not be eligible to become Kentucky State Troopers, under a policy implemented this month.

The rule applies to incoming cadets with tattoos that could be seen in a summer state police uniform, said Chris Gilligan, spokesman for the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. Current troopers should not be affected, he said.

Other disqualifiers for new cadets include drug or alcohol abuse, dangerous driving and any felony convictions.

"We want to present an image of professionalism, responsibility. ... We want to uphold the integrity of that uniform and that image."

In May, Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration implemented a ban against visible tattoos for state park workers. At least one park employee, a Navy veteran, was fired for having a visible tattoo.

Fletcher is not planning a ban on tattoos throughout state government, said Doug Hogan, a spokesman for the governor.

"The governor's not against tattoos or people having tattoos," Hogan said. "Obviously, though, we want the people who come into contact with the public to look professional."

The new policy for state police was not related to the park policy, Gilligan said.

The state police policy first was proposed in 2002 under former Gov. Paul Patton.

Police Commissioner Mark Miller signed off on it days after taking the job in March, Gilligan said.

"This gives notice to applicants that the policy is in effect," Miller said. "There is a great concern over the appearance of our law-enforcement officers."

The policy also has been approved by a legislative panel, Gilligan said. Other states, including Georgia and Rhode Island, have similar policies, he said.

Still, Sen. Walter Blevins Jr. said there were "bigger things to worry about in Frankfort." Given the popularity of tattoos, policies against them could limit the crop of eligible young people, he said.

"It seems like all of the young people these days have tattoos," said Blevins, D-West Liberty. "Certainly all of the sports figures seem to have them, and a lot of people in military service."

www.courier-journal.com

The San Diego police department is in the process of crafting a new policy on tattoos, and some insiders are worried about a potential cover-up.

Police spokesman Dave Cohen declined to give details on what the new policy would entail but said the department was trying to find a solution that everybody could live with.

"We're trying to balance [the officers'] ability to express themselves that way with the department's and the chief's need to have that professionalism out there every day," said Cohen.

Some people don't think tattoos are appropriate for police officers. One private citizen told NBC 7/39 that she thought it undermined the authority of law enforcement.

Officials with the department said that a lot of officers working in the department have tattoos -- one officer guess-timated that 50 percent of San Diego cops have at least one tattoo.

Officer Anthony Reese, who told NBC 7/39 that he had seven tattoos, said that a lot of his colleagues are concerned that officers may be forced to cover up their tattoos.

The officers' complaint: They may be forced to wear long sleeves no matter how hot out it is.

Police representatives said that the new rules could come any day.

www.nbcsandiego.com

The Plymouth Plan Commission has asked the city attorney to pursue possible zoning restrictions for tattoo parlors, group homes and duplexes within the city limits.

The Commission made the decision after Joe Simanski, city attorney, told members that some of the Plymouth Common Council members had been approached by citizens who had concerns about the tattoo parlors and group homes. The duplexes issue was added during later discussion by Kurt Garner, Plan Commission and Common Council member.

Simanski said Plymouth has no specific zoning ordinance that would restrict where a tattoo parlor could go. Plan Commission member Shelly Lee, when asked if there had been problems with tattoo businesses in Plymouth, said the exterior painting of a tattoo business in downtown Plymouth had come to her attention.

"It creates a dis-incentive for our downtown," Garner said of tattoo parlors located there. He explained that by restricting where tattoo parlors could do business, it would "set the stage" for implementation of the downtown strategic plan for revitalization.

Discussion focused on possibly classifying tattoo parlors as adult businesses, which would result in restriction of their location. Simanski said existing tattoo parlors would be exempt from any new ordinance. A public hearing also would be scheduled once the Plan Commission considers the issue and makes any recommendation to the City Council.

The same public hearing procedure would take place in reference to restricting placement of group homes. Simanski told the Commission there is no current ordinance that would prevent a transition home -- one that serves as a half-way house for paroled or released felons -- from being placed in most neighborhoods. Because of that, the group homes could be close to schools, public parks, and similar areas, he explained.

Garner added consideration for duplex placement discussion because, he said, "Michigan Street has kind of suffered from that." Garner referenced the remodeling of existing single-family homes on Michigan Street to become duplexes.

A problem could be that duplexes are currently allowed in areas zoned Residential B, or for multi-family housing, Simanski noted.

"I think it all needs examining," Garner said.

In other business, the board approved the final subdivision application for Turning Point Housing Inc.'s planned low-income housing project on the northeast corner of Flora and Harrison streets.

Brent Martin, local architect, was introduced by Turning Point director Dean Byers as a volunteer working on the project. Martin told the board that construction will begin soon on the lots, five of which will feature a single-family home. The sixth lot could be built on at some future point, Martin said.

www.southbendtribune.com

Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie flew into Bangkok on Wednesday to pay a visit to a famous Thai tattoo artist.

It was the second time the Academy Award-winning actress, well known in Thailand for her role as Lara Croft in the "Tomb Raider" movies, has received a tattoo from Sompong Kanphai, whose business is located in Pathum Thani's Muang district.

Jolie arrived at Don Muang airport from Cambodia in her private plane with her adopted Cambodian son Maddox and bodyguard Wirat Wanitchaka.

She was taken to Mayfair Apartment on Langsuan Road and Sompong met her there.

Sompong said Jolie chose a 20-centimetre-wide, 30cm-long tiger tattoo on her lower back.

The job took more than two hours.

Sompong said he chanted an ancient hymn to bless the tiger tattoo so that its bearer would be rich and filled with power.

The Hollywood starlet first visited Sompong in April last year.

Jolie told reporters yesterday through an interpreter that she flew to Bangkok just to see Sompong.

She said she felt that her life had been filled with luck after receiving the first tattoo from him.

nationmultimedia.com

THE Military Tattoo is celebrating its third consecutive year at the Manchester Arena with a fresh show.

This year the event is dedicated to all those who have served (or who still serve) in the most dangerous of environments, behind the lines, highlighting the heroic actions of those in SOE (Special Operations Executive), while celebrating the 60th anniversary of Arnhem and the D-Day Landings. Without the dedication and bravery of these special agents and airborne forces, the outcome of World War Two might have been very different.

There are action displays from 12 Company 4 Parachute Regiment (TA) and the Allied Special Forces Action Teams (ex-special forces including SAS) who will recreate a hostage situation.

The theme continues with music from the renowned Band of the Parachute Regiment and The Band of the Light Division. WARS (WW2 Axis Reenactment Society) help to depict the capture of SOE agents, including Violette Szabo, in 1944.

To complete this moving portrayal there will be a guest appearance by Virginia McKenna, who played Violette in the film Carve Her Name With Pride.

Music is provided by the familiar sounds of the Pipes & Drums of the Scots Guards' Association (Manchester) and the GMP Band, which will undoubtedly entertain the crowds, while the Irish Guards Singers also return.

Every year the Military Tattoo has increased in popularity. The high standard of the displays and musicians has encouraged celebrities such as Virginia McKenna to offer their support to such a fitting tribute to all service men and women.

iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk

A recommendation on its way to Town Council would limit tattoo parlors to a few slivers of land on Hilton Head Island zoned for commercial uses.
According to the recommendation Wednesday from the council's Planning and Development Standards Committee, the shops would be restricted to: a corner of the midisland Triangle Square; the Outdoor Resorts RV park on the island's south end; a strip along New Orleans Road; an area of Arrow Road near Signe's Heaven Bound Bakery and Cafe; and the back portions of the Park Plaza and Island Crossing shopping centers on the south end.

The town is passing tattoo regulations because Gov. Mark Sanford signed a bill June 17 ending the state's ban on the practice.

The state law requires proof that a town specifically has allowed tattooing before a parlor can open, which seemingly would prevent parlors from popping up without warning.

But town planners fear that without passing a law restricting parlors, a legal argument could be made that the practice falls under a commercial use allowed in many parts of the island.

Committee members Drew Laughlin and Bill Mottel chose to follow the recommendation of the town's Planning Commission, which advises the council. Committee member Bill Ferguson did not attend Wednesday's meeting.

The recommendation includes several other restrictions, such as a minimum of 500 feet of separation from other parlors or strip clubs and 1,000 feet of separation from a church, day-care center, playground or publicly owned land.

The result, the town's staff concluded, is that about 31 acres of land on Hilton Head can accommodate a tattoo parlor. But the staff also concluded a tattoo business stands a reasonable chance of opening on two lots on New Orleans Road, in Triangle Square and the area by Signe's.

Opening a shop in another allowable area would require more effort. Laughlin and Mottel said the Outdoor Resorts RV park probably would not allow a parlor, and a storage facility in Park Plaza would have to be removed before a shop could go there.

The town's staff had recommended allowing tattoo parlors only in an area off of South Forest Beach Drive. But local attorney Chet Williams told the committee such a location could run afoul of land-use laws, under which he said that a town cannot permit a type of business but allow it only in areas where the business could never reasonably open.

The town staff said the area they recommended off South Forest Beach Drive probably would never have a tattoo parlor because it is mostly taken up by condominiums.

In other business, the committee passed a recommendation to Town Council that would limit the use of temporary tents to 60 days a year and no more than four days a week. The town staff proposed the change because businesses were using tents in place of permanent structures, potentially creating unsafe conditions because of limited parking and annoyances to neighbors by putting the tents in buffer zones between lots.

Under the recommendation forwarded to Town Council, the town staff would determine whether a tent posed a public safety threat, such as if cars blocked a fire lane. Under the recommendation the staff could deny a permit for a tent if it posed a safety concern, or could revoke the right to apply for a tent permit for up to a year if an owner erects a tent that is found to cause a public hazard.

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Kentucky State police are cracking down on tattoos -- in their own ranks.

A policy implemented this month bans people with visible tattoos from becoming state troopers. It applies to incoming cadets with tattoos that could be seen in a summer state police uniform.

A spokesman for the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet says troopers who were on duty before the rule took effect don't have to obey the policy.

The policy also disqualifies newcomers who abuse alcohol or drugs, or have felony convictions.

The Fletcher administration in May implemented a ban against visible tattoos for state parks workers.

At least one parks employee was fired for having a visible tattoo.

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A tattoo and piercing ordinance will likely require those under 18 to receive parental permission and supervision before receiving a piercing.

At Tuesday's work session, council voted 6-1 to keep the age limit proposed by Community Development Director Craig Hoium.

"What we're doing here is protecting the rights of parents to at least have a say in that," At-Large council member Wayne Goodnature said.

Hoium said that in discussions with City Attorney David Hoversten, he was told there could be problems with allowing people aged 16 or 17 to get piercings without parental approval.

"You may run into some legal issues in allowing that to be done," he said.

The 18-year minimum is present in city ordinances across the state, Hoium said.

"(It) isn't too overly restrictive to permit someone from conducting this type of business," he said.

Mickey Jorgenson, First Ward, agreed with the age limit.

"If we're going to err, I'd rather on the side of caution," she said.

Steve Kish, owner of Unusual Expressions in Austin, said the age limit will put youth in danger.

"A 16- and 17-year-old has the ability to buy something on the Internet and do it themselves," he said. "They have the ability to drive somewhere else and have somebody else do it."

If youth do it themselves or receive it from an inexperienced person, they will not be safe or sanitary, and they will not know how to take care of it, he said.

"Don't take our ability to educate away from us," he said.

Dick Pacholl, Second Ward, was the one vote against.

"I'd like to get these kids educated too, let's go to someone we can trust and not behind the barn," he said.

His motion to allow 16- and 17-year-olds failed 4-3, and the motion for 18 as a minimum then received support from all members but him.

The issue will be on the agenda at the next city council meeting.

In other business, the city is considering sale of 3.5 acres in the Austin Northeast Industrial Park to Lee Hansen, president of Hansen Hauling and Excavating, Inc.

A portion of the property had been part of discussions with D and R Star vending, but delays and no solid development promises for the next three years led the council to consider Hansen's proposal.

"I hate to lose a potential development, but then again, it's just been an ongoing change and change again," Hoium said.

Included in Hansen's plans would be construction of a 20,000 square-foot building and a job expansion of three to four employees.

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