Aldo Distefano's Five Tattoo Commandments

Aldo Distefano is a living art. With his body emblazoned completely with tattoos, the artist has been decorating people's bodies for more than a decade. As skin is his canvas, the American tattoo artist is excited about setting up shop and a learning school in the country.

He reveals that the reason why tattoos have always been such a rage is because mankind since the beginning has been obsessed with permanence. "Though tattoos are usually associated with biker boys and rebellion, our ancestors were also infatuated with body art. Be it cross, skull, wedding band or Chinese characters, tattoos have always been a way of expressing yourself. And even if you don't know what you want, you do want one (tattoo) on your body."

From celebs to your neighborhood hunk, tattoos have become the perfect style statement. But before you get into the chair, remember, "Your body is your temple, decorate it wisely."

Aldo's Five Commandments:

1)Hygiene factor: You don't want to get a tattoo done in doctor's cabin but make sure that the place is hygienic and the needles, equipment and gloves are sterilized.

2)Artist's Portfolio: You might get awed by the attractive designs on the tattoo parlor wall, but before you let the guy give you a permanent tattoo, make sure you know his style and his work experience.

3)Significance: It's going to be there for life, so make sure you don't get something you regret a few years down the line. Your current girlfriend/boyfriend's name might seem like the right thing now, but few years down the time, you might have to cover it up.

4)Diet: While you might think going their drunk might lessen the sensation- it's not a good idea as alcohol thins out the blood and you'll end up bleeding more. Better would be to carry a chocolate to give you instant energy.

5)Post tattoo care: Yeah, you are eager to see the tattoo in its full glory but give it at least two weeks time to heal. Put water based creams instead of petroleum (vaseline) products. And do not pick or scratch the scabs.


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Magnet Implant

Magnetic children have been springing up across former Yugoslavian nations recently. Their stories are a little dubious, but some scientists and body-modification fans have been irresistibly drawn to the idea of merging man and magnet, with startling results.

Magnets have long been a source of fascination for we curious apes, drawing the attentions of generations of scientists, writers and philosophers. The ancient natural philosopher Thales thought that they might perhaps have a soul, prompting Aristotle to note (with perhaps a hint of snarkiness), "[he thinks] all things are full of gods." 2600 years later the rapper Shaggy 2 Dope summed up the frustrations many of today's youth feel when physics intrudes into their lives, pleading, "fucking magnets, how do they work?"

History is littered with experiments in magnetism; from Shen Kuo's successful use of magnets in navigation by 1088, to William Gilbert's investigations of Earth's magnetism published in 1600, to my own experiments in the mid-1980s, which involved inserting bar magnets into my nostrils and trying to make paperclips stick to my nose.

I wanted a magnetic nose. I still do, and who wouldn't? A magnetic nose is not something to be sniffed at (or with; removing bar magnets from sinus cavities is not a pleasant task for anyone involved). Imagine being able to sense north through a tingling in your nose, feel your mobile phone ringing in your face, or spend the night locked in a pleasant nasal embrace with your dream lover of opposite polarity. The possibilities are as endless as the variation in your mileage.

In Eastern Europe my dreams of magnetic people have supposedly become reality, for a very low value of supposition and a very tenuous definition of reality. Boys and girls with 'magnetic bodies' have been springing up all over the place, without a nose-bleed or a hidden bar magnet in sight.

The latest is Ivan, a six-year-old Croatian boy with "the ability to attract metallic objects, from coins to heavy frying pans, to his body" according to the, er, well, Guardian sadly. He follows ten-year-old Serbian girl Jelena, and her seven-year-old compatriot, Bogdan, who is supposedly banned from going near anything electrical and therefore won't be on Twitter any time soon.

All three are claimed to be magnetic, but this obviously isn't the case. Bogdan is pictured with china plates and a TV remote control plastered to his chest, while Jelena is able to 'attract' mostly-plastic cigarette lighters - not objects you would really expect magnetism to act on.
The videos are rather oddly staged, too. None of the footage shows any objects being impelled by any force, or moving without human assistance; the items are always placed carefully against the flesh, with big surfaces in contact rather than, say, the edge of a knife. Larger, heavier items are positioned at the top of the chest with the child leaning backwards, suggesting that actually a lot of the weight is pressing into the skin, not pulling against it (and both boys are generously proportioned, allowing some of the weight to rest on their tummies).

It also bugs me that the demonstrations are so unimaginatively lame. If my ejaculate somehow gave rise to a magnetic boy I can think of a thousand experiments way cooler than sticking cutlery to him. It would be nice to see him lift a cloud of iron filings off of the ground with a wave of the hand, or put a compass near him, or have him picked up by one of those electromagnetic cranes they use to pick up cars in junkyards, or make him be the first person to wing-walk on the underside of a wing.

In short, these aren't very convincing displays. Human skin is greasy and oily and stretchy and can be pretty sticky - most men at some point in their lives will experience the agony that comes when you sit naked on a leather chair in hot weather and then stand up, only to find the bottom half of your scrotum still welded to the seat. There's nothing in the videos that can't be explained by sticky skin and some careful positioning.

My dream isn't quite dead though. Thanks to the efforts of artists and scientists, magnetic people do exist. Quinn Norton wrote a fascinating essay for Wired in 2006 which describes the adventures of body modification artists Jesse Jarrell and Steve Haworth, who worked in collaboration with graduate student Todd Huffman to develop implants that would allow them to sense magnetic fields through their finger-tips.

The implants were tiny - miniscule fragments of iron encased in a silicone sheath to prevent rejection - but the results were startling. "In time, bits of my laptop became familiar as tingles and buzzes. Every so often I would pass near something and get an unexpected vibration," Norton relates, in an article that is well worth reading in full.

In Britain, graduate student (and science blogger) Jawish Hameed at the University of Reading has been living with his own magnetic implants for over two years.

His implants are tiny neodymium disc magnets inserted in the ring and middle fingers of his left hand. They are 3mm in diameter, and just 0.7mm thick, and coated in a material called Parylene C to prevent any reaction with the surrounding tissue. Doctors at the university refused to perform the surgery, so Hameed had the procedure carried out by a body modification artist, Mac McCarthy. It sounds risky, and he tells me that he did it with his family's 'minimal knowledge', "They had concerns of its long term effects. But over two years with the implants without incident has comforted them somewhat!"

The magnets are positioned in the pads of the finger-tips. Electromagnetic fields can stimulate the magnets, and their tiny movements and vibrations are picked up by the tightly-packed mechanoreceptors (nerves that sense mechanical pressure and distortion) in Hameed's fingers, allowing him to experience magnetism as little tugs and tingles.

I asked him what it felt like. "It startled me on numerous occasions when interacting with everyday things like cash machines, microwaves, speakers and even my own laptop," he says, "I was suddenly aware of the silent spin and working of the hard drive and the cooling fan. I could feel a field around microwaves from about a foot away."

His experiences then are similar to Quinn Norton's, with household objects suddenly interacting with his senses in whole new ways. "Each magnetic field induces a different sort of feeling, depending on the strength and frequency of the current that drives the electromagnetic fields," he tells me, "It is hard to describe an analogy but [it] feels like the vibrations from wind."

A simple interface, consisting of an electromagnetic coil on a wire-frame wrapped around the finger, allows a computer to deliver signals to the implants. Initial tests have been promising, although there is obviously a long way to go before anything like this could be used widely. There are many possible applications, particularly for the blind. He has been able to use the implants to receive Morse code, and has experimented with transmitting information from an ultrasonic ranger to the implants to help people 'feel' the environment around them.

He also plans to integrate the implants with his mobile phone, "I'm currently preparing a mini ring-sized wearable interface to injecting text messages from my phone." Even without the interface, he says his extra sense has practical uses: "I use it quite regularly to sense if a wire is carrying AC household current."

Check out the video below, it shows how the procedure is done.



It goes to show that where we find fairy tales, science is often not far behind. Jawish Hameed is not 'Magnetoman', but there's something quite amazing about a species that, given five wonderful senses with which to experience our world, sets about trying to build a sixth.


Sources
La Sumisa


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Body Modification

The concept of body modifications has long been prevalent in the human race. Put in simple words, ‘body modification’ refers to the process of making changes in the body. The changes incorporated can be temporary or permanent in nature. Primarily done for the purpose of beautification, body modification has emerged to be very different from what it had started as. The need as well as the ways for body modification has undergone transformation. This concept of making changes in the body has various implications and differs from culture to culture. While sharp objects, to tattoos to amputations are all categorized as ways to modify any part of the body, jewelries are the most common element that is used in body modifications.

Apart from being a fashion statement, body modifications in early days were done for purely religious reasons. This thing still prevails in the modern times where examples can be cited from various regions. Believers do so with this faith that their sacrifice and pain will satisfy God and they will be granted their wishes. The pain inflicted on the body while doing so becomes immaterial at that time.

Tracing back to the times of Indus Valley civilization, ornaments or jewelries has played a crucial role in body modifications. Earrings, anklets, necklaces, nose rings all excavated from the ruins have proved that they were in use in those days. The Bronze statues of a dancing girl excavated at one such site bore proof of the same fact. Bangles, rings, head bands also found at the excavation sites are evidence of the fact that even men used these for body modifications.

For many cultures across the world, body modifications have an altogether different need and importance. It is an inherent part of their culture and they are taught to imbibe this from their very childhood. Say for example in Myanmar, the women of the Padaung tribe has this tradition to wear tight neck rings around their necks. The practice starts at a tender age of 5. While at this time, the number of ring put around the neck is one, the number soon increases with time. It’s quite prevalent among them to wear as many rings as possible around their calves too. The ultimate reason for doing so is to modify the neck as in the process it gets elongated at times to alarming rates. Other body modifications followed by tribes related to this use jewelry extensively for elongating their ear lobes or ear piercings done previously.

Instances of body modifications can also be found in the American culture where the use of labrets is common among First Nations people inhabiting the North west coast. Modifications of the lips with the use of lip plates are common among Sara and Mursi people, mostly of African origin.

Body modifications can hence be categorized as common and ‘extreme’. While some are temporary and easy to do like body piercing, ear piercing, dermal anchoring which is placing a small steel bead on the skin, neck rings and tattooing – some can be really dangerous and harmful. The extreme kinds consist of tongue splitting and extra ocular implant.

With time, the sense of fashion has undergone a considerable change. For so long, footwear, jewelry and handbags co ordinate perfectly with stylish attire drew the attention in the crowd. Now is the time, when a ethnic embroidered apparel from India or a chic Indo western wear is well complimented by a perfectly done body modification.


Sources
La Sumisa
Tattoo Articles


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Arizona Tattoo Expo

This coming weekend, the Mesa Convention Center hosts the 11th annual Arizona Tattoo Expo, where the tattooed and those looking to get tattooed can explore styles and designs by nearly 150 artists.

The convention draws upward of 7,000 people a year and is an opportunity to promote tattooing, said expo founder Sage O'Connell, who owns Urban Art Tattoo in Mesa.

Most of those who attend sport the full-range of tattoos, from sleeves to back pieces to tiny ankle tattoos, but O'Connell says nearly 25 percent get inked there for the first time - a phenomenon he attributes to the success of cable television series like "L.A. Ink," "Miami Ink," and "Inked."

"I see people that might not have gotten a tattoo that now have seen the show(s) where they saw other people that were like-minded and said, 'You know, I really want to do something that commemorates my father,' or, 'I really want to do something that shows my kids how much I love them,' " O'Connell said.

Sean Dowdell, owner of Club Tattoo with five Valley locations, said the TV shows have made tattooing more mainstream, showing that tattoos are a way of expressing people's individuality. In 2006, nearly 24 percent of American adults, aged 18 to 50, had at least one tattoo, according an article that year in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Dowdell, along with his wife and Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, opened Club Tattoo in 1995,when tattooing was just infiltrating the mainstream. Now, Club Tattoo participates in nearly 20 conventions a year.

"I think years ago, people associated tattoos with kind of a biker mentality or lifestyle," Dowdell said. "Now people will come up to you on the street and check out (your work) and recognize that particular style."

When he opened Club Tattoo, Dowdell estimates there were maybe four tattoo conventions each year worldwide. Now, "there's one every weekend, probably at three different locations in the United States alone," he said.

"There are so many tattoo shows that it's a bit saturated," he said.

One thing that separates this weekend's convention from similar ones is the focus on area art, Josh Gargalione said.

Gargalione, who goes by the name "Uncle Josh," has been tattooing for more than a decade and works at Lady Luck in Tempe.

Gargalione said a lot of the work done by artists at the convention is the result of pre-booked appointments. Last year, Club Tattoo had 18 appointments for four artists. Usually artists tattoo regulars or spend the weekend finishing large pieces.

The expo is more of an opportunity for artists and the Valley's tight-knit tattoo community to socialize, Gargalione said. More than 70 area shops are represented at the convention, though there will be an international artist from Spain and a few more from around the country.

"A lot of time, people will get tattoos from people that are out of town, because you don't have the opportunity to go into another state to go get tattooed," Gargalione said.

Like many conventions, the Arizona Tattoo Expo conducts contests - best black and white, best themed, most erotic - and seminars, including one on piercing by Dowdell, for tattoo artists.

Contest winners earn cash prizes, including $250 for the best tattoo of the day and $500 for best of show, and gain public recognition for their work, which often results in new and repeat customers.

In an effort to differentiate the convention, O'Connell is hosting a fine art show. The art, featuring everything from sculpting to airbrushing to oil painting, is all done by tattoo artists to showcase artistic ability, he said.

Arizona Tattoo Expo

What: The expo includes more than 150 artists from 70 area shops as well as seminars, contests and an art show. When: Noon-11 p.m. Saturday, May 21 and noon-8 p.m. Sunday, May 22. Where: Mesa Convention Center, 201 N. Center St. Admission: $20 per day, $30 for the weekend. Ages 15 and under free with adult. Details: 480-644-0812, www.aztattooexpo.com


Sources
La Sumisa
AZ Central


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Things to Remember After Getting Tattooed

It will break your heart if your tattoo doesn't look as good as it used to be when you had it done. You may even end up spending an equal sum of money on re-touching it. It's essential for a tattoo to look nice once it heals and if you don't want that that to happen to you, here are some tattoo after care tips suggested by tattoo artist Al Alva:

Cleaning and moisturising
A newly done tattoo is as good as a wound. The epidermis of the skin reacts to the wound and secrets a transparent fluid to protect germs from entering the body. The surface of the tattooed skin must be cleaned regularly without wetting it in water. You can take a piece of cloth, wet it in water and dab it on the tattoo to clear it of germs. Moisturises it with a body lotion afterwards.

Apply ointment
Calendula is a herbal remedy which heals wounds and soothes the skin. Apply a very thin layer of the cream on the tattoo thrice a day. Continue the treatment for the first 15 days.

Don't go for a swim, or the jacuzzi
Take short showers when you bathe. But going for a swim or taking a steam bath will lead your skin to form scabs as a reaction to chlorine and heat respectively and spoil the texture of tattoo. The thicker the scabs the lighter will be the colour of your tattoo when it heals.

Avoid sweating
If you are a health freak, don't exercise for 15 days after you get a tattoo. The salt in your sweat causes the same damage to the tattoo as chlorine or sea water by forming scabs.

Keep away from the sun
Long exposure to the sun could cause the tattoo to discolour. Avoid applying sunscreen and wear long sleeves to protect the area.

Don't shave
If you have got a tattoo on a spot where you need to shave regularly, avoid doing so till the tattoo is completely healed. Shaving may cause your skin to peel and erode the ink within.

No scratching
Your tattoo will start itching within first five-six days. Itching is a sign that your skin has started to heal but do not scratch, rub or press it against your body. It is possible that by doing so you may be scratching the ink out of the tattoo even before it can settle down in your body.


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Last Rites Gallery presents solo shows by Anthony Pontius and Sarah Joncas - Saturday, April 30th, 7pm‏

Last Rites Gallery presents:

Solo shows by:
Anthony Pontius and Sarah Joncas
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 30th, 7pm-11pm

ANTHONY PONTIUS, THE DECAY:

One of the most unique painters to emerge from the modern surrealist movement, Anthony Pontius is a maverick of medium - never following a formula, he experiments with various paint, thinner, and every vehicle in between to achieve unexpected and unprecedented results. Fluid and unabashed, his paintings do not shy of the bravado of bold brushstroke or a valiant splash of color, yet manage to retain an understated elegance. As recognizable images unravel into subconscious forms, these combinations of representational art with sinuous abstraction evoke intense emotion through the power of suggestion. In his latest body of work, Anthony examines the importance of the human connection to history:

"By using past and present techniques of painting and written histories, I invent my own nostalgic experiences and narratives. I examine imagery, stories and concepts from both the past and present and place them in a shared setting. The established conflicts and connections found in this union enable an image that is flexible for many audiences. I implore traditional and contemporary practices of painting and mix these approaches to form new arrangements. I may use classical clarity to represent and to define a specific part of a story, and at the same time use the ambiguity of abstraction to complete the formation of the work. From this, a new myth develops. It is a story that is familiar yet it has not been cultivated by anyone. The combination of specific imagery and less comprehensive moments creates an accommodating proclamation that allows the viewer to share the anxiety and beauty of human involvement with its identity. This approach allows me to represent our alignment with the annals of history. This display of beauty and complexity of the unknown provides a foundation to what we consider the past and present. As with history, these paintings are not clear or concise. They are fluctuating consequences wielded from contribution."

SARAH JONCAS, LILITH:
Last Rites Gallery presents Lilith, new works by Sarah Joncas. Using powerful and sexually charged energy, "Lilith" takes on a darker context with Joncas painting in full-force celebration of the original femme fatale. Combining explicit imagery with more subtle anthropomorphic iconography, she leads us into a world of seduction and mystery.

"My show Lilith is not necessarily as a direct allegorical reference, but more so for what she represents. According to Jewish Mythology, Lilith is considered to be the true 1st wife of Adam, her unwillingness to submit caused her to rebel from Eden in search of her own dark path. As such, she’s been written as the temptress, the mysterious and the devil. Taking from fairytale and folklore inspirations, much of the work borders on the fantastical, indulging and sometimes turning other mythological females into similar demoniac beings. Though working with a relatively more aggressive theme than usual, I’ve kept the melancholic and pensive tone that my work is most well known for. In general, I’ve always focused on the alienated female subject as well, making a theme on the legendary archetype a natural course for me to take. In a sense, I see this body of work as a bit of a return for me. Though the women I’m portraying in these pieces are bolder, more sexual and more mature than those of my previous work, I’ve decidedly brought back some of the whimsy that I’d abandoned after years of schooling. In effect, this body of work has been especially fun for me to create, which is more or less the reason I got into painting in the first place."

Sarah Joncas was born in 1986 and grew up within both Hamilton and Niagara Falls, Ontario. She currently resides and works out of Toronto, Canada. Her interest in the visual arts developed at an early age, starting with the dedicated drawings of dinosaurs and lizards. Eventually the study and enjoyment of working from existing images stirred up the need in Sarah to create images of her own; ones that could reflect the world, yet also appease the personal feelings/ideas that she herself maintained. With this, her direction changed gradually from the world of animation, towards a path in fine art.

About Last Rites Gallery:
Established in 2008, Last Rites has become a premiere gallery for the Dark Art movement and a haven for artists who prefer to explore the ominous, uncomfortable, and eccentric in their work. Striving to showcase some of the most thought-provoking art in contemporary surrealism, Last Rites creates an atmosphere where the artist can harness limitless expression and the observer can reflect inward, inspired to understand that which resides in us all. Since it’s inception, media accolades now include Juxtapoz, Inked Magazine, Tattoo Society, Hi Fructose, NY Post, and the Channel 11 News. Paul Booth, featured by Rolling Stone as “King of Rock Tattoos”, opened Last Rites after 20 years of contributions to the tattoo and art community. Networks including Discovery, TLC, MSNBC, and MTV, continue to share Last Rites' reputation with the world.
On display April 30th to June 5th, 2011.

CONTACT:

Celeste Fuechsel
Assistant Director
1-212-560-0666
info@lastritesgallery.com
Last Rites Gallery, 511 W. 33rd street, 3fl New York, NY 10001

Sources

La Sumisa
Last Rites Gallery



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Skin and Bones Tattoo Exhibit

For centuries, long before their landlubber cousins sported shoulder skulls and bicep beauties, seafaring men have offered up their skin to the tattoo artist's needle. The results are as plain as the anchor on Popeye's forearm.

"There's a thin wall between life and death at sea," says Craig Bruns, curator of "Skin & Bones — Tattoos in the Life of the American Sailor," a touring exhibition now on display at Mystic Seaport. "You're going to want talismans for good luck, and you're going to want them on your very body, almost like a second skin."

Even fictitious sailors had them.

In Herman Melville's novel "Moby-Dick," for example, the imposing harpooner Queequeg was covered in tattoos. "This tattooing had been the work of a departed prophet and seer of his island, who, by these hieroglyphic marks, had written out on his body a complete theory of the heavens and the Earth, and a mystical treatise on the art of attaining truth," Melville wrote. "So that Queequeg in his own proper person was a riddle to unfold; a wondrous work in one volume; but whose mysteries not even himself could read."

"Skin & Bones" unravels some of those mysteries.

Using everything from antique needles to old postcards, it traces the connection between American sailors and tattoos from Colonial times right up to current-day U.S. Coast Guard sailors. Plus, visitors can sit at a "Tattoo-A-Tron" and get their own faux tattoo.

The exhibit debuted in 2009 at Philadelphia's Independence Seaport Museum. Mystic is its first port of call since then, and it will remain here through Sept. 5.

"Sailors were working folks," Bruns explains. "They were the lowest rung on the social ladder, just above slaves. They were feared. They looked weird. They had their own jargon, and they were rowdy. And they had these tattoos."

There were practical reasons for all the body art, of course.

First, tattoos were a form of identification. Sailors had little in the way of personal possessions, and they depended on tattoos to indicate their citizenship, religious affiliation and date of birth.

Tattoos also showed where a sailor had traveled, whether he crossed the equator, how many miles he sailed, significant military battles he was in, names of ships on which he served and names of shipmates who died.

"By 1770, there was already a very complex tattoo culture," Bruns says. "It's a mark of masculinity. Of belonging. Of patriotism."

"Skin & Bones" has early tattoo equipment on display, from the sail-making needles of the 1700s to the advent of Samuel O'Reilly's electric Tattoo Machine in 1891. There also are examples of tattoo "flash" — the books of tattoo designs that served as portfolios for shipboard tattoo artists.

One of those flash books, owned by a sailor named C.H. Fellowes in about 1900, is on loan from Mystic Seaport. It's one of the oldest flash books still in existence.

Beyond such artifacts, the exhibit is filled with the tattoos themselves.

You have dragons, American flags, hula girls, hearts, roses, ships, figureheads, coils of rope, mermaids, whales, eagles, shields, fish and stars. Some swabbies preferred the "twin screw" tattoo: a pair of propellers that sailors thought would keep them from drowning and propel them back to shore.

On one wall of the exhibit is the classic, 1944 Saturday Evening Post cover, "The Tattoo Artist," painted by Norman Rockwell. It shows a brawny sailor getting the name "Betty" tattooed to his arm, underneath the crossed out names "Sadie," "Rosietta," "Ming Fu," "Mimi," "Olga" and "Sing Lee."

There are nuggets of nautical tattoo trivia, too.

For instance, Macy's shoppers may be interested to know that the department store's red star logo is identical to the red star tattoo on the arm of founder Rowland Macy, who worked on a whaling ship when he was a teenager.

Here's another tidbit. Sailors believed they could survive a shipwreck if they tattooed a pig on their left foot and a rooster on their right foot. This may be because shipboard animals traveled in crates that floated if they were tossed overboard.

"Some tattoos were very allegorical, and others were pretty direct," Bruns says. "It was all part of being a sailor and being part of that world."

Today's sailors are represented in a series of video interviews with Coast Guard officers talking about their tattoos.

"There is something unique about my Neptune tattoo on my left calf," says Emilio Mercado, a petty officer recorded at the Sector Delaware Bay Station in Philadelphia. "The tattoo doesn't show the eyes of Neptune, since I'm acting as the eyes of Neptune right now for the United States Coast Guard and the nation. ... Once I retire, the eyes will be drawn in the tattoo as a completion of my duty and to ensure safety for my own life."

American sailors have decorated their bodies with tattoos for more than 200 years. Discover why in this new traveling exhibit from Philadelphia's Independence Seaport Museum. Skin & Bones presents over two centuries of ancient and modern tattooing tools, flash (tattoo design samples), and tattoo-related art, historic photographs, and artifacts to tell the story of how tattoos entered the sailor's life, what they meant, and why they got them.

A tattoo could be a memento of a voyage, a memorial to a lost shipmate, or a talisman to ward off evil spirits. They also had a practical side: tattoos were used to prove identification in event of catastrophe or imprisonment. Regardless of the purpose, the tattoo served to prove the wearer's membership in a maritime brotherhood.

The exhibit traces the progression of purpose and design to the present. Some of the connections are surprising: The famous red star logo of Macy's department store is believed to have been inspired by a tattoo founder R.H. Macy got while on a whaling voyage in the South Pacific on the Emily Morgan (a predecessor of the Museum's 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan).

Skin & Bones brings together the most comprehensive presentation of design flash on this subject. From eagles and flags, to ships and animals, to lost shipmates and loved ones, visitors can survey the evolution of tattoo design through the decades. One of the oldest surviving books of American flash, bearing the name C.H. Fellowes, belongs to Mystic Seaport and is on display. Visitors can also see the range of tattoo-making tools, from rather crude sail-making needles to Samuel O'Reilly's revolutionary electric tattoo machine of 1891.

Visitors will be invited to get their own tattoo in an interactive "tattoo booth" where a recorded "tattoo artist" talks to them about their chosen design as he inks a pretend tattoo on their forearm using a video projection effect. They can also try their hand at sketching a tattoo and share the results.

By the end of the exhibit, you will know if you have a tattoo, thank a sailor!

Sources
Jim Shelton

Ear Gauges

Do you want to express your feelings in an artistic way? Do you want to create a new fashion statement to become unique among your group? Well, a new fashion trend that is becoming popular among different age groups is the so called ear gauges. It is a process of stretching your ear holes so as to fit large earrings or gauges. This is exceptional and very fashionable.

But, ear gauging is not totally a new trend in fashion. Many countries are already practicing it as part of their culture and tradition. This is also a form of body modification techniques which include body piercing and tattooing. If you have the courage and patience to feel the pain of ear gauging, then this fashion is suited for you.

Ear gauges range from a wide variety of sizes, styles, and designs. These are available in different jewelry stores and they can be found at affordable prices as well as fancy. Along with the gauges, you will also need tapers for those who already have pierced hole. This is needed to stretch the ear holes and achieved the desired diameter.

But for those who still do not have ear holes, you need first to let your ears be pieced with a piercing professional. This would take a long time because; you’ll need to wait for the wound to heal. Even with those who already have ear hole, you will still need to wait for the holes to increase in size. This is a process so you don’t need to rush up.

Ear gauging requires the help of a piercing professional to prevent complications. The area should always be cleaned with antiseptic solution to avoid infection. It will take approximately two week before you can wear ear gauges and display your unique fashion style.

Sources
Office 20 Con
La Sumisa

Avoiding Tattoo Infection

TATTOOS are becoming popular, especially among young people who do not balk at having symbols or letters printed on various body parts.

Decades ago, tattoos could only be seen on outlaws, convicts, sailors or members of notorious gangs. Today, tattoos are part of body decoration.

However, you have to know first some safeguards for your protection. Remember, putting tattoo is like wounding yourself even if it is the henna type. Like any  puncture or cut,  having or  tattoo puts you at risk for infections and disease.

Make sure you're up to date with your immunizations especially hepatitis and tetanus shots and plan where you'll get medical care if your tattoo becomes infected. To avoid problems, choose a trusted artist.

Signs of infection include excessive redness or tenderness around the tattoo, prolonged bleeding, pus, or changes in your skin color around the tattoo.

If you have a medical problem such as heart disease, allergies, diabetes, skin disorders, a condition that affects your immune system, or infections or if you are pregnant, ask your doctor if there are any special concerns you should have or precautions you should take beforehand. Also, if you're prone to getting keloids, it's probably best to avoid getting a tattoo altogether.

To make sure your tattoo heals properly:

* Keep a bandage on the area for up to 24 hours.

* Avoid touching the tattooed area and don't pick at any scabs that may form.

* Wash the tattoo with an antibacterial soap. Do not use alcohol or peroxide. They will dry out the tattoo. Use a soft towel to dry the tattoo. Just pat it dry and be sure not to rub it.

* If you don't have an allergy to antibiotic ointment, rub some into the tattoo. Don't use petroleum jelly — it may cause the tattoo to fade.

* Put an ice pack on the tattooed area if you see any redness or swelling.

* Try not to get the tattoo wet until it fully heals. Stay away from pools, hot tubs, or long, hot baths.

* Keep your tattoo away from the sun until it's fully healed.

Even after it's fully healed, a tattoo is more susceptible to the sun's rays, so it's a good idea to always keep it protected from direct sunlight. If you're outside often or hang out at the beach, it's recommended that you always wear a sunscreen with a minimum sun protection factor of 30 on the tattoo. This not only protects your skin, but keeps the tattoo from fading.

Types of Body Modification

Sometimes It is hard for people to believe the meaning of Body Modification, but once you read this you might realize it has always been present in our lives.

Explicit ornaments

Body piercing – Permanent placement of jewelry through an artificial fistula; sometimes further modified by stretching.

Ear piercing – The most common type of body modification.

Dermal anchoring Similar to transdermal implants, giving the appearance of a small bead on the skin.

Pearling – Also known as genital beading.

Neck ring - Multiple Neck rings are worn to stretch the neck.

Scrotal implants

Eyeball tattooing – Injection of a pigment into the cornea.

Extraocular implant (eyeball jewelry) – The implantation of jewelry in the outer layer of the eye.

Surface Piercing – A surface piercing is a piercing where the entrance and exit holes are pierced through the same flat area of skin.

Microdermal implants

Transdermal implant – implantation of an object below the dermis, but which exits the skin at one or more points.

Surgical augmentation

In contrast to the explicit ornaments, the following procedures are primarily not meant to be exposed per se, but rather function to augment another part of the body, like the skin in a subdermal implant.

Breast implants – Insertion of silicone bags filled with silicone gel or saline solution into the breasts to increase their size, or to restore a more normal appearance after surgery.

Silicone injection

Subdermal implant – implantation of an object that resides entirely below the dermis, including Horn implants.

Removal or split

Hair cutting

Hair removal

Male circumcision – the partial or full removal of the foreskin, sometimes also the frenulum – conversely some men choose to take up foreskin restoration.

Female genital cutting – removal of the labia minora or the clitoral hood.

Frenectomy

Genital bisection – splitting of both the underside and the top of the penis, including Genital inversion.

Meatotomy – splitting of the underside of the glans penis.

Headsplitting – splitting of both the underside and the top of the glans penis.

Nipple removal

Nipple splitting

Nullification involves the voluntary removal of body parts.

Body parts that are removed by those practicing body nullification are for example Fingers, Penis (penectomy), Testicles (castration), Clitoris, Labia or Nipples. Sometimes people who desire a nullification may be diagnosed with body integrity identity disorder or apotemnophilia.

Subincision – splitting of the underside of the penis, also called urethrotomy.

Lingual frenectomy

Tongue splitting – bisection of the tongue similar to a snake's.

Trepanation, drilling a hole into the skull.

Applying long-term force.

Body modifications occurring as the end result of long term activities or practices.
Corsetry or tightlacing – binding of the waist and shaping of the torso.

Cranial binding – modification of the shape of infants' heads, now extremely rare.

Breast ironing – Pressing (sometimes with a heated object) the breasts of a pubescent female to prevent their growth.
Foot binding – compression of the feet of girls to modify them for aesthetic reasons.

Anal stretching

Non-surgical elongation of organs by prolonged stretching using weights or spacing devices.

Some cultural traditions prescribe for or encourage members of one sex (or both) to have one organ stretched till permanent re-dimensioning has occurred, such as: The 'giraffe-like' stretched necks (sometimes also other organs) of women among the Burmese Kayan tribe, the result of wearing brass coils around them. This compresses the collarbone and upper ribs but is not medically perilous.

It is a myth that removing the rings will cause the neck to 'flop'; Padaung women remove them regularly for cleaning etc.

Stretched lip piercings – achieved by inserting ever larger plates, such as those made of clay used by some Amazonian tribes.

Others

Branding – controlled burning or cauterizing of tissue to encourage intentional scarring.

Ear shaping (which includes Ear cropping , Ear pointing or "elfing")

Scarification – cutting or removal of dermis with the intent to encourage intentional scarring or keloiding.

Tooth filing

Bodybuilding

Controversy

The head of a man with conspicuous tattoos and other body modifications. Some sources of controversy stem from the notion of attempting to artificially beautify the natural form of the body, often leading to charges of disfigurement and mutilation. Extreme forms of body modification are occasionally viewed as symptomatic of body dysmorphic disorder, other mental illnesses, or as an expression of unchecked vanity.

Unlicensed surgery (i.e. the plastic surgery field) performed outside of a medical environment can often be life-threatening, and is illegal in most countries and states."Disfigurement" (a subjective term) and "mutilation". (regardless of any appreciation this always applies objectively whenever a bodily function is gravely diminished or lost, as with castration) are terms used by opponents of body modification to describe certain types of modifications, especially non-consensual ones. Those terms are used honestly uncontroversially to describe the victims of torture, who have endured hurt to ears, eyes, feet, genitalia, hands, noses, teeth, and/or tongues, including amputation, burning, flagellation, piercing, skinning, and wheeling.

"Genital mutilation" is also used somewhat more controversially to describe certain kinds of socially prescribed modifications to the genitals, such as circumcision, female circumcision, castration, and surgeries performed to conform the genitals of individuals with intersex conditions to those of typical males or females.

Individuals known for extensive body modification.

Rick Genest, has had his entire head and torso tattooed so as to appear like a human skeleton.

Pete Burns, had extensive polyacrylamide injections into his lips, along with cheek implants, several nose re-shapings and many tattoos.

Elaine Davidson, the "Most Pierced Woman" according to the Guinness World Records.

The Enigma

Lolo Ferrari

Julia Gnuse ("The Illustrated Lady")

Cindy Jackson, had more cosmetic surgery procedures than anyone else in the world.

Katzen ("Cat woman")

Tom Leppard, formerly considered by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the world's most tattooed man.

Erik Sprague ("The Lizardman"), with sharpened teeth, full-body tattoo of green scales, bifurcated tongue, and recently, green-inked lips.

The Scary Guy, his nose, eyebrows and ears are pierced and tattoos cover 85 percent of his body.

Lucky Diamond Rich, holds the Guinness world record as "the world's most tattooed person" as of 2006.

Hao Lulu, extensive cosmetic surgery in 2003 to alter her appearance, tagged "The Artificial Beauty".

Horace Ridler ("The Fantastic Omi"), tattooed in a pattern of curved black stripes, often described as zebra-like.

Pauly Unstoppable, the first person to get the white of their eye tattooed.

Stalking Cat ("Cat man") Stelarc, got a cell-cultivated ear implanted into his left arm.

Jocelyn Wildenstein ("Lion Queen / Cat Woman")

Fakir Musafar, having exposed himself to body piercing, tightlacing, scarification, tattooing and suspension.

Waka Flocka Flame chooses Ink over Mink

American rapper and hip-hop artist Waka Flocka Flame shook up the charts and the airwaves with his debut album, Flockaveli. This crunkster quickly became a musical sensation and is known for sporting some rockin' ink and serious jewelry. But underneath all that bling is a heart of gold.

Waka Flocka Flame is a huge animal lover and is giving a shout-out to all the helpless fuzzy animals who are killed for their fur. The rapper has joined PETA's iconic "Ink, Not Mink" campaign and is showing his skin to help animals save theirs.


Waka thinks that "[fur] is nasty!" and urges the hip-hop community to "understand what you buy." Animals who are killed for their fur, such as foxes, minks, rabbits—even dogs and cats—are bludgeoned, stomped, electrocuted, and often skinned alive. Waka shares his disgust and exclaims, "Damn … electrocuting and killing animals!" Undercover investigations reveal the horror as the animals struggle and scream in pain as workers peel the skin from the writhing animals' bodies. 

Waka Flocka Flame shot two additional ads for PETA. Check out the explicit and tame versions now!

Animals endure tremendous pain and suffering before they are turned into coats, vests, hats, and other accessories. The only way to prevent such unimaginable cruelty is never to buy or wear any fur or fur trim and to encourage others to do the same. As Waka Flocka Flame prepares his sophomore album, Triple F Life: Friends, Fans, & Family, one F you'll never see him in is fur.

Slice & Burn

"A decade ago, in Boston for her 35th birthday, she paid a call on a body-modification artist. Ms. Hamilton wanted what's known as a 'slash and burn.' She selected a spot on her right arm to be ritualistically cut, dabbed with alcohol and set aflame. 'It's sort of like a tattoo except 5,000 times more painful,' she said. 'And when they cut you, my God, they cut you.'"

Tattoos in the Work Environment

Millions of Americans have at least one tattoo. It's a growing way to express creativity, individuality or solidarity, and a certain aesthetic. However, some employers are still a little leery about workers having visible ink.

It's a fairly common story these days: someone interviews for a position (usually dressed in a business suit or "business casual," and once he or she gets the job, the jacket comes off and the tattoos come out.

Many people feel that unless it's a job that requires tattoos, they can't go into most office settings with a sleeve of tattoos. But when people get to know the person underneath the ink, they often see that they're more than just the images.

Some bosses say they feel the tattoos have no impact on job performance. But many employers may not have that same vision. Most people say they don't judge a book by its cover, or a person based on appearance, but the reality is many do.

But there's little doubt tattoos are more mainstream than even twenty years ago. A 2008 survey showed a quarter of US adults in their 30's, and 32% of 25 to 29 year-olds have at least one.

But it's the placement of body art that could be the issue at hand. Taking into account what kind of career a person wants is a factor in where on the body a person gets a tattoo.

Despite their popularity, visible tattoos could still lead some people to question the wearer's professionalism. Whether or not the idea of visible tattoos is unprofessional, many with ink stand behind the decision they made. And the beauty, as well as the shock.

Body Modification & Cultures

A very strange in our society and culture of many societies around the world is that of body modification. body modification has been around for hundreds of thousands of years for various reasons. The first change had something to do with the cultural significance in many cases, but do so in other cases it was just vanity. People from cultures around the world during the time they were with their physical appearance, and wants to go to great lengths. Improving

The concept of beauty is one that seems the same all over the world and time, but that simply was not the case. In particular, a long-necked African culture are considered beautiful. It 'really so important that women have a long neck, in which metal rings around the neck by a very young age and gradually add more rings around the neck in force have taken an unusually long time. This change is so serious that when the metal rings were removed from their necks, these women would not be able to hold my head up.

At one point, small feet were considered beautiful and very important to have women in Japan. It was considered so important for a firm base of small women who have one child, Japanese women have their feet bound in narrow bands to prevent their feet from growing.

One of the most common types of change is the tattoo. The tattoo has been through age and is only becoming more popular over time. One reason for this increase in popularity is based on television programs that have glorified the culture of tattooing. People from all walks of life are tattooed in those days. In recent days, tattoos were reserved for specific social groups. This is no longer the case and the people themselves are tattoos, just because it's popular to do and what it has become more culturally accepted.

The most severe forms of Body Modification includes branding. If a person is stigmatized, the temperature is very hot super high heat metal device, and that means the skin for a few seconds on hold, causing severe burns. This particular type of body modification is very dangerous because it burns easily become infected.

A modification of the body is very strange that come into fashion with the Underground pop culture systems. A stainless steel or Teflon implanted under the skin piece, shocks form on the outside of the skin. This is quite rare, but it's still popular.

Another strange kind of body modification is "gauging". After the pierced ears is certainly not new, but this particular spin on the ear piercing is something new. It starts with an individual simply bored with their own ears. Then a larger device is inserted into the hole every week or so until the hole expands to 2 inches in diameter.

What type of Body Modification choose whether it is a tattoo or implanted under the skin with the metal, the reasons are usually very personal. Although there are more popular for people with strange body modifications, many of these changes in the body is still pretty taboo. The only exception would be a tattoo. This is a particular kind of change in the body.

Vegan Ink

For Vegans, sticking to an animal-free lifestyle is more than just watching what they eat. The most dedicated vegans are also cautious about what's in the products they use, including the ingredients of their tattoo ink.

Because vegans strictly avoid anything created from animals, tattoo ink with any animal product in it would be going against vegan beliefs.

Jason Wynn, a UA graduate and employee of Scapegoat Tattoo, an all-vegan tattoo parlor in Portland, Ore., said most tattoo ink is considered vegan, but there are certain colors that are by-products of animals.

"Black is a tough color because it is often derived either from burnt bones or from the resin of shellac bugs," Wynn said.

He also pointed out that most tattoo parlors use soaps or ointments in the treatment of tattoos that contain animal by-products. Even if customers were able to use vegan-friendly ink, such as ink of the brand Starbrite, they would still have to be cautious about what to use to treat the tattoo.

For vegans in the Valley, it can be difficult to find a vegan-friendly tattoo parlor.

Fritz Andrews, a tattoo artist at No Regrets Tattoo Parlor located on the corner of University and Hardy drives, said that although his shop offers Starbrite ink, he doesn't like the idea of giving a vegan tattoo to someone because he worries the quality might not be the best.

"I'm not comfortable with only using certain inks, because some ink has better pigment quality than others," he said. "I wouldn't want to use an ink I'm not familiar with because I want to give my customer the best art possible."

Though he said he has never had a request for a vegan tattoo, he does have some customers who ask for all-natural tattoo ink.

He said that it's hard to fulfill these requests, as ink companies aren't obligated to list all their ingredients on the ink bottles. So in reality, companies could be putting whatever they want into the ink.

Because of the lack of information about ingredients, Scapegoat Tattoo does a lot of research to ensure the ink they use is vegan, Wynn said.

He said that the quality of vegan-friendly ink is on par with other inks and there isn't a significant price difference between vegan and non-vegan ink.

Andrew Stravers, 21, a vegan for five years in Tempe, said that he sought out a vegan-friendly tattoo shop after hearing that some tattoo ink used squid ink as one of its ingredients.

He chose to go to No Regrets Tattoo Parlor to get his four tattoos done because he heard they use Starbrite ink there.

Stravers said it's hard to be 100-percent vegan in a non-vegan world, but it's important to him to stick to the tenants of veganism.

Getting a Tattoo? Be creative

The most amazing thing about being unique when choosing a Tattoo design is being creative. The best thing when getting Inked is to not just choose a design on display since you're at risk of running into someone with the same Tattoo and even if the colors are different the design will still be the same and that is the reason why I always recommend custom made works.

Sometimes is hard to come up with a straight idea when it comes to choosing "The perfect Ink job". A reputable artist can help you decide, choose and also give you ideas in order to achieve what's desired so badly. The first thing the customer needs to do is to think or have an idea of what's wanted instead of simply walking to a shop and then choose whatever is on the wall.

It is best if the person chooses a design that has an actual meaning to them or something they relate to instead of choosing a design because it looks pretty or because was seeing on someone else. Always remember to be unique (as in custom work).

Something that also helps a lot is by choosing a few designs that can be altered a bit, have additional details added and make the project look outstanding but in harmony. It is good to find an artist that can pull it off and make it look like an actual entire piece instead of a few patches all over the place.

The basics on ear stretching.

How to Stretch your Ears

1. Get your ear / ears pierced professionally. Yeah, your mate can do it with a safety pin, but trust me, you're saving yourself a scarring and complications down the line.

2. Once your ears are COMPLETELY healed (I'd leave it for two months), buy either a 1.6mm or 1.2mm straight titanium body bar. These are the standard sizes for most body piercings and will easily be available. If you're not sure what you're looking for, just ask the staff. They're usually affordable. Push the bar through your pierced ear slowly, it will seem like it isn't going to fit at first, but it will with a bit of wiggling and determination.

3. After your ear has healed from the first stretch (give it at least two weeks) you can stretch up to 2mm. Use a titanium taper.

4. Continue in this way until you reach your desired size. Always leave at least two weeks between each stretch and always only go up by 1mm - otherwise you risk a blow out... A blow out is scar tissue pushed through the back of the ear. Not pretty! Once you reach 5mm, start wearing plugs or tunnels - don't wear tapers. If you get to a point where it is getting difficult to increase in size, try using tea tree oil to help to ease it in - never force a stretch.

FAQ

Q. Does it hurt?
A. Everyone has a different pain threshold. All I can say is try it and find out yourself, but don't expect it to be pain free.

Q. Is it normal for it to still sting the day after I stretch it?
A. Yep. It can sting up to the point when it heals. 

Q. My ear lobe is throbbing / aching / very tender / swollen / weeping / bleeding - what should I do?
A. You can either choose to take it out totally and leave it to heal by itself - tea tree oil and antiseptics can help in the process. If you think you can still stretch, baby your ear like you fear it's going to drop off - rub tea tree oil into it at least three times a day, downsize about 2mm and let it get some air until it's totally healed.

Q. What is a 'blow out'?
A. Scar tissue which forms and eventually gets pushed/ pushes itself through the back of your ear. If you get a bad blow out, it's extremely unlikely that your ear will shrink back to a 'normal' size. They're also really unattractive.

Q. What's the difference between a taper, a plug and a tunnel?
A. A taper is a cylinder which is sealed at both ends and 'tapers' into a thin point, they can be straight, curved or spirals. Tapers are used for stretching until the healing point ONLY. Tapers shouldn't be worn past the healing point as the uneven weight distribution can cause uneven stretching, creating scarring and a longer healing process. A plug is a cylinder usually sealed at both sides, they can be used to stretch or to wear past the healing point. A tunnel is a hollowed out plug which you can see through from one side to the other, it can be used to stretch or to wear past the healing point.

Q. What materials should my jewelry be made from?
A. Practically anything so long as it is fully sealed and treated after your ear has fully healed. Only use materials which can be autoclaved during each stretch. Titanium, plastic and silicone are the most common. Stainless steel, wood, bone and polished stone are also quite popular.

Q. Where can I buy tapers / tunnels / plugs?
A. Your local piercing parlor will definitely sell them, a lot of tattoo parlors sell them too. Otherwise, there are LOADS of shops on eBay which sell body jewelry and plenty of web stores to choose from, too.

Q. What is the smallest size of plug /tunnel? What is the largest?
A. The smallest I've seen or heard of is 2mm. Plugs and tunnels can be custom made, usually past 2" you will find it harder and harder to find 'off the shelf' jewelry and will need to find somewhere that will make them for you.

Ps: only use recommended makers / sellers!

Q. Will it shrink back to a 'normal' size? When is the 'point of no return'?
A. It's different for everyone. Mine personally shrink back over night from 12mm to around 8mm, it would shrink further the longer I left it but probably only as far as 2mm. 'The point of no return' is usually considered to be around 1.5", though it is obviously different for everyone.

Q. If I stretch it up to a certain size, will it continue to stretch by itself?
A. No, your ear can only stretch up to how far you want it to stretch.

"Depending on the size of the gauge, weight of the jewelry, and age of the person, your stretched ears can become loose and stretch a little larger. Ear weights (heavy jewelry) are designed to slowly stretch the lobe over time to fit a larger gauge piece.

This is generally done for much larger gauges because lets face it, I've never seen a taper 2" wide so they aren't very common if they exist at all. Naturally as someone gets older the elasticity of their skin breaks down therefore sagging and if accommodating weight, can stretch. "

This is why I usually recommend light weight jewelry.

Q. Why does it smell?
A. Because you're not washing it. You should wash both your jewelry and ear lobe every day. I wash mine when I wash my face - morning and night. I usually rub some tea tree oil into it once a week.

Q. My friend went from 1.6mm to 10mm in a week - why are you saying I shouldn't?
A. Because your friend will most definitely now have caused scarring / a blow out, if they should want to shrink back at any point, they probably wont be able to. It's also likely that despite your friend's macho 'It didn't even hurt!' it will have hurt like a bitch - stretching at a healthy rate should not hurt more than a slight sting.

Plastic or Re-constructive

Sometimes when people hear someone speaking about Body Modification they usually think about anything related to piercings. Sometimes those people fail to do a bit more research on this topic so they can find out there is more than piercings when it comes to this topic. Body modification is not just about getting pierced, it is more complex than actually thought. Some times people don't find themselves to be appealing to the rest of the world or simply are not happy with they way they look or feel and have the need to go through a single or many medical procedures in order to achieve the life they desire in order to be happy with themselves and to have what they consider a productive life or a physical accomplishment that will permit them be part of "society". Sometimes it is hard for an individual to live day by day simply because they're not happy with their appereance and, sometimes they have to live through depression or anxiety on a daily basis.


Those individuals choose to make changes to their bodies knowing that will be the only way they will be completely happy and feel content, which allow them to have the healthy and productive life they wish. There is plastic surgery and re-constructive surgeries which are they key to success for many and a the best solution for those who choose to break the stereotypes, and for those who simply don't give a fuck of what others might say. Sometimes people add and sometimes people remove parts of their bodies. I believe anyone has the freedom to live the life just as they please an do what they wish with their bodies when it comes to modification of their physical attributes. I've learned about people removing a toe or a finger an living happier life the same way I've heard of a woman having a desire to have three breasts (seriously).

The Nautical Star

The five-pointed Nautical Star of mariner’s charts is found on the compass rose, straight up, at the North position. Somewhere back in the salty mists of time it represented the North Star, also known as Polaris, which was so crucial to navigation. Today it is a tattoo symbol that harkens back to finding one’s way home and the luck that it sometimes takes to get there. The Nautical Star tattoo can be big, small, two colors, one color–pretty versatile really.
Who gets it? This is a tattoo symbol that is absolutely raging in popularity right now, especially among young hipsters who dig the nautical/retro feel. Who has it? Mark McGrath (lead singer of Sugar Ray) has a blue one on his left elbow. Where should you get it? The elbow is a classic placement of the Nautical Star, like Mark McGrath, but they also tend to occur in pairs, on either side of the chest or the insides of the forearms. Because it’s a essentially a bunch of straight lines though, it lies and looks best on relatively flat areas. Why should you get it? You’ll never have to pull over and ask for directions again.
Although you might not have found your perfect tattoo in the list above, you are no doubt starting to visualize one. As you continue on your journey to that final result, make your own top ten list of the greatest tattoos and keep revising it. In time, you may find that you’ll have a tattoo, one that’s just right for you, instead of just thinking about it for another decade.

The most fucked up thing? Ignorance

The worst thing about someone making a comment or asking a question is simply when they don't know what the fuck they're talking about, especially when it comes to Body Modification (especially when this person has had modifications performed on their bodies). To see someone with Body Modifications on them and hear them criticize others making an argument based on genter makes me sick. One can understand if a Tattoo, or piercing, etc is not well done, the best thing one can do is provide advice and a way to fix that problem instead of making the person feel bad or offended. Not too long ago while being at a gathering a tattooed female asked me why I had my earlobes stretched, I looked at her trying to comprehend what her point was and then she specified that only males stretch their ear lobes and women shouldn't. Knowing my temper, I decided to stay calmed and didn't even gave an answer to her statement since I am aware that such stupidity shouldn't be dignified with it. I understand not everyone has a full knowledge of what Body Modification is and also realized this person don't have a clue of the History of it in general. The fucked up part is that I allowed her to get away with it simply cause I tried avoiding her a major embarrasment along with an accurate reading simply to put her in place while making her look stupid in front of all those who were present. Perhaps this person don't even know this Blog exist but something tells me soon will find out about it (I can't wait) and the only choices this person will have are: to swallow her words, do some research and feel stupid once and educational update is achieved. Sometimes I rather stay quiet cause I do my best not to make anyone feel like shit and sometimes when I try to educate people they take it the wrong way. Sometimes I tend to put things in a simple way but when I use elaborated words and people don't know what those words actually mean they decide to come up with their own conclusions and spread the wrong message. When it comes to Tattoos I know some can be kind of rough looking and some can be delicate and feminine but that's a whole different story. Tattoos can be done in many ways and no matter how they look does not define a Sexual Preference or Gender and it could mean support to a Community. The last thing I want to hear is someone asking a male (for example) if he is Gay because he had a pink ribbon tattoed on instead of trying to ask what it means to him.