Thousands Join the 3rd Augusta Annual Tattoo Convention June 10, 2009

This past weekend, an event was held at the James Brown Arena were over 80 Tattoo Artists from around the country joined to show off their work at the 3rd Augusta Annual Tattoo Convention and Exposition.

 

Over 2000 people joined the Convention in order to get piercings, tattoos, to participate in some tattoo contests, buy art and enjoy the exposition. Some came just to check out the exposition while others decided to get a permanent mark and get a tattoo with this artists.

 

At the James Brown Arena, many different activities were done such as custom bikes on display, art shows of the tattoos done by the artist, a full bar, several live bands and not the least as Augusta’s own Eddie Peace Tattoo Studio.

 

Besides all these fun activities, there was also on Saturday a special category for the tattoo judging  including full back tattoo, Oriental tattoo, portrait tattoo, full sleeve tattoo, and the traditional tattoo. On Sunday, they will finish the competition with the small and large black/gray tattoo categories and the small and large color tattoo categories.  

 

“The quality of artists that are here are very good, there’s good talent here, a lot to learn, a lot to choose from, so I’m happy with that,” said Tattoo enthusiast Jason Deal. Every day, a panel of judges revised and analysed the tattoos, in order to rate them and determine the winners.

 

The number of visitors increased comparing to the past events, at a cost of $10.  Also, Mike Fergeson the organizer of the event said that in general tattoos cost about $100 dollars per hour, but they’ll last forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://tattoojoy.com/tattoo_conventions/united_states.php

http://www.wjbf.com/jbf/news/state_regional/georgia/article/augusta_tattoo_expo_held_over_the_weekend/14206/

http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/local/47169287.html

http://metrospirit.com/index.php?cat=1211101074307265&ShowArticle_ID=11010206093596292

Piercings Work Issues June 10, 2009

On a daily basis, dress codes are one of the most common issues at jobs. Kimberly Cloutier began working for Costco in West Springfield, Massachusetts, in July 1997. Since she starting working, she had eleven piercings and four tattoos on her arms, and there wasn’t any problem until she was transferred to Costco’s Deli’s.

 

Cloutier never had any issues related to her body modifications such as her piercings and tattoos, until Costo created a dress code where they prohibited certain employees from wearing any type of jewelry. Employee, Kimberly Cloutier, was requested to remove her earrings but she refused.

 

Cloutier, requested Costco to transfer her to a position in which she would be able to use jewelry, which Costco agreed. After a while, Cloutier kept on getting more body modifications, which created a big issue between Costco’s dress code and Cloutier’s religion.

 

These big companies such as Costco, have a strong believe that the way their workers present to their customers, is an important matter, such as it should be in a very clean, neat, and professional looks. In order for this companies to achieve this, they may have the need to enforce dress codes, grooming codes and some other ground rules that may relate to the Company’s Motto. In is a constant confrontation between the company’s image and the employees’ style and fashion preferences.

 

After this inconvenience, Costco decided to offer her some accommodations such as covering her piercings with a bandage or to wear a clear plastic retainer instead of the jewelry. Cloutier, denied the offer since she was facing Religious issues when she was asked to remove her piercings considering she’s been a member of the Church of Body Modification.

 

In 1999, The Church of Body Modification was established which has about 1,000 members. In this religion, they encourage their members to “grow as individuals through body modification and its teachings”, this will help them to  follow their motto of how this body modifications will make them “growth in mind, body and spirit.

 

Cloutier has stayed firm on the fact that the only reasonable decision would be to be able to be excused from Costco’s dress code, just by allowing her to wear her facial jewelry to work. Costco’s response was that this would interfere with the company’s ability to maintain their professional image. Her petition and request were turned down.

 

  

https://www.nixonpeabody.com/publications_detail3.asp?ID=824

http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20090526/NEWS01/905260309/1002/rss

http://www.workforce.com/section/09/article/23/99/34.html 

 

Photo exhibition creates awareness of Hepatitis C May 27, 2009

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/18/2574117.htm?section=entertainment

Every year over 10,000 Australians are diagnosed with Hepatitis C, therefore an art gallery in the inner city of Sydney held a photo exhibition trying to raise awareness of this issue.

 

As more than 200,000 Australians are affected by Hepatitis C, the biggest fear is that most young people are not aware and don’t understand the disease, therefore experts that represent Public Health are promoting and calling for a mass media campaign to change the situation.

 

For this photo exhibition, the artists were young people with high risk backgrounds, that were given a disposable camera to capture pictures of what they understood Hepatitis C was. Even if  their experience in photography was very little, the whole point was to capture different points of view and what everyday people think of this disease.

 

“It was just what they saw. It was their everyday lives or realities that they took images of.” The artwork varied from teenagers kissing, a syringe on a dashboard, piercings, drugs, home-made tattoos, friends on a street and even images of clouds.

 

The whole point of this art exhibition, creating it and sharing with others is to raise the awareness of Hepatitis C and to comfront the lack of awareness. “We’re trying to make them think about anything that may put them at risk of Hepatitis C, so risky tattooing, unsterile piercing and drug use,” said Ms. Kalsi, Project Officer Education & Development.

 

It is very common that teenagers who can’t afford to go to professional body modification parlors to pierce themselves and many times they do it at unsanitary environments. After taking part in the Art Exhibiton, the information they learnt hopefully will help them and they may be prepared to change their behaviour. Hepatitis Australia vice-president Stuart Loveday is pleased these young people have got the message.

 

This past Tuesday May 19, was World Hepatitis Day, which was a great opportunity for experts to raise awarness and inform Australians about one of the most common health conditions.

  

 

 

 http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/18/2574117.htm?section=entertainment

http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/news/local/news/general/getting-hip-to-hep/1516320.aspx

http://www.efarming.com.au/News/general/18/05/2009/55215/photo-exhibit-boosts-hep-c-awareness.html

1,197 Needles to Break Guinness Record May 20, 2009

 

http://www.star-telegram.com/arlington_news/story/1368774.html

This past May 2nd in Arlington, Texas, body modification artist Tyson Turk spent over 5 hours piercing Jeremy Stroud, who broke the GuinnessWorld  Record by getting 1,197 piercings in one day.

Turk used 18-gauge surgical needles in order to perform over 800 piercings in his back, 300 on his right arm, 50 on his right leg and about 20 in his left arm, the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported Monday.

As the piercings were being done, the closeness of the piercings gave a false illusion of  creating a line. “They’re so close together that they leave a line. It kind of looks like i had stitches from my wrist all the way up to my shoulder,” said Stroud.

Stroud’s original plan was to break the Guinness World Record by getting 2,000 piercings, however along the way there were some complications leading to decrease the number of piercings. “I made it to 1,200 and my body was getting ready to shut down,” he said. “I had no idea what I was getting into.”

Before going through the plan of breaking the Record, Stroud had been preparing himself for eight months, guided by Turk, his piercing artist. Stroud had a previous try out in March to see how much pain he could handle, he got 50 piercings in a small part on his back.

“I did my homework,” Stroud said. “This isn’t just something you can go out and do; you’ve got to be prepared for it.”

In order for this to get officially into the Guinness World book, Stroud had to bring a photographer, a witness, notarized statements, two EMTs and months of paperwork.

After this record acomplishment Stroud doubts what he’ll do if someone actually gets to break his record. The past record holder with 900 piercings, Robert Jesus Rubio of Dallas, is already talking and planning something, Stroud said.

 

 

http://www.star-telegram.com/arlington_news/story/1368774.html

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/05/11/Man-got-1197-piercings-in-one-day/UPI-39801242075402/

Tongue Piercings can Lead to ‘Fatal’ Consequences May 13, 2009

http://www.dochemp.com/images2/tonguebar.jpg

Piercings are becoming  increasingly popular especially because many artists, such as Cristina Aguilera and Scary Spice, have made them very famous.

 

Although it may be very fashionable,  the British Dental Association (BDA) reports that getting a tongue piercing may cause infections, broken teeth, breathing problems and, in some cases, even speech impediments.

 

 Most piercings have a great risk of infection, but mouth piercings are considered the most risky since it is considered an unsanitary area and the airways are close by. Whenever an infection happens the most common symptoms are swelling, which leads to blocked or restricted  airway.

 

 Besides this, having a piercing may also generate bacteria under the tongue, which spreads quickly. This may also lead, in some cases, to ‘potentially fatal toxic shock syndrome or blood poisoning’.

 

The Jerusalem Post reported the case of a 19-year-old Israeli combat soldier who died at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center after suffering complications from a tongue piercing. An oral infections led to 12 other infections including  his brain.

 

A Declaration from Dr. Geoff Craig, chair of the BDA’s health and science policy group, said: “People having tongue piercings are putting not just their oral health, but their general health at risk – and we strongly advise people not to.” (1)

 

Professional piercings by professional piercers are the first step to avoiding complications. The second step is to clean and care for your piercings and seek the advice of your piercer or doctor if anything seems wrong. It is not necessary to avoid body piercings as long as you take the proper steps and precautions.

 

 

 

(1) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/399218.stm

(2) http://tattoo.about.com/b/2006/10/22/news-piercing-cases-a-cause-for-concern.htm

(3)  http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017359881&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Charter School sets New Ground Rules May 6, 2009

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/599917.html

 After April 2nd The Charter School for Applied Technologies, decided to make a sudden change in the school rules putting special emphasis on facial jewelry. Vallery Marx an honor roll student has opposed severely  the new stipulation of no piercings allowed.

 

“They had no problem with me Monday, then Tuesday it was, like, ‘You can’t have them,’ ” Marx said in an interview that took place that week.

 

The 15-year-old sophomore, is included in one of the minority of students who are against this change of policy. Marx, who has 13 piercings on her face and ears, decided to challenge the policy after she had been cited for dress code violations and later sent to ‘the box’, said Thomas R.Lucia, chief communications officer.

 

Marx said that most of her piercings were done over a year ago in which she usually wears small jewelry, but up until after winter break it started to be an issue. Marx also argues that there is no such thing in the dress code that prohibits facial jewelry, in fact her mother Debra, said she read the code before taking her daughter to get her piercings done.

 

In the code, there was a statement which said “Any jewelry that is worn during school hours should be appropriate and non-distractive.” As long as a single pair of earrings would measure at maximum half-inch, it was all acceptable.

 

“They can certainly, at the end of the school day… wear whatever they care to,” Trustee David Quackenbush said on Tuesday. “But once the bell rings… our mission statement, our approach to education, says that’s how we’re going to do it.” The Charter School, was founded in 2001 by businessman Fred Saia, for them it is all about giving the best preparation for students for their future workplace. “Every Day is Career Day” is their motto.

 

 

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/08/Buffalo-school-maintains-piercings-stance/UPI-46791239205904/

http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=768

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/599917.html

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/633704.html

Teenager Arrested for Illegal Body Piercings April 15, 2009

http://www.1010wins.com/pages/4131563.php

Suffolk County Police  arrested a West Islip teenager this past Wednesday, after he  illegally pierced two underage girls in his apartment.

 

18 year old, Nicholas Cunningham was running his own body piercing business at his Pease Lane apartment, where on March 30 he pierced the belly buttons of one 14-year-old and one 15-year-old girl. The piercing was performed in a non-sterile and unsanitary environment. Cunningham would charge a $25 fee for the whole procedure. 

 

Parents of the 14-year-old girl informed the police this past Monday, after their daughter was treated for an infection at a hospital, said Lt. James Gruenfelder, commanding officer of the Third Precinct crime control section.

 

“We believe that he’s been doing this for a while, not every day, but he’s been doing this for his friends and it got around by word of mouth,” Gruenfelder said. “It’s usually people he knows, or friends of friends”

 

Cunningham was charged with two counts of putting in danger the welfare of a minor and two counts of prohibited piercing, a misdemeanor. He was issued a desk appearance ticket and is scheduled to be arraigned May 29 at First District Court in Central Islip.

 

In 1997, the Suffolk body-piercings law took  effect and not many arrests have occured. During 2007 and 2008 none were made, and now Cunningham’s arrest is considered the first for 2009, said a police spokeswoman.

 

After the police were alerted of the situation by concerned parents, and a subsequent investigation, they discovered one of the victims. Creating an alert for any information about this case or similar incidents, you may call the Third Precinct Crime Section at 631-854-8326. All calls will be kept confidential.

 

 

http://www.longislandpress.com/articles/news/1204/

http://www.1010wins.com/pages/4131563.php 

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/body.piercing.suffolk.2.973972.html

http://www.wpix.com/landing/?Cops-Man-Performed-Illegal-Piercings-on-=1&blockID=256784&feedID=1404

http://www.newsday.com/iphone/ny-libody0312613941apr02,0,4630959.story

Kate Moss: Back Again to Needles April 8, 2009

 

http://a.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/wn_kate_moss_090326_ssv.jpg

As a lot of you may be thinking, 35 year old model Kate Moss would never turn back to

needles after her breakup with Pete Doherty, 30. Now, things have changed since Moss went ‘overboard’ when she decided to get five piercings at once.

 

A source said “the British supermodel splashed out £90, to add five holes to her right ear. Picking a very tricky part of the body because the cartilage on the side of the ear takes up to a year to heal”.

 

Moss, is not the first artist to have multiple piercings on her body, as Cristina Aguilera  previously had her nose and lip pierced, Fergie also has many piercings on both of her ears and while Mel B had jewellery in her tongue and on her eyebrow.

 

This new punk look on Moss, may have a special effect on one man in particular. As her ex Pete Doherty has confessed how much he misses the British model and how he is ready to fight her current boyfriend Jamie Hince to get her back. 

 

Doherty said: “I wanted to see Lily Allen play the other week but her label got in touch and said, ‘We don’t want you there because Kate Moss will be there and it will take the attention away from Lily”.

 

 

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/kate-moss-has-her-ear-pierced-5-times_100171509.html

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/lifestyle-fashion/stylecelebs/Kate+Moss-7891.html

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/Kate-goes-punk-with-six-ear-piercings/articleshow/4318442.cms

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/goss/view/74139/Kate-cops-an-earful/

http://www.myparkmag.co.uk/articles/celebrity/kate-moss-gets-an-earful.html

Covering the Hole Missing on Piercing Regulations April 1, 2009

http://www.komonews.com/news/5923141.html

A proposal sponsored in the United States by state Rep. Sherry Appleton, D-Poulsbo, would order the state Department of Health to establish sanitation standards for body piercers. But another measure in the state Senate and supported by Kitty Candelaria of Silverdale, executive director of the National Hepatitis C, has been struggling to enforce sterilization standards because without them they have no meaning at all. Hepatitis C is often transmitted through the needles used in tattoos and piercings.

 

“For too long, an industry that has left its mark on so many has been allowed to operate with so little government oversight,” Candelaria said.

 

Washington State is still without regulations on the sanitation area in such tattoo and piercing parlors, which is now one of Kitty’s main concerns. She was quite shocked to see the lack of a specific law to protect the customers from the instruments and equipment used. In most cases, the equipment is left unclean which later is the main medium of transmission for diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C among others.

 

Lawmakers are now focusing their attention on Olympia and are considering several bills for these matters, which will benefit the customers and at the same time body piercers and tattoo artists will also be restricted from piercing or tattooing minors.

 

Appleton said her measure is politically feasible, noting that the Senate measure would require about $2 million in state dollars, in order to put it in place sooner.

 

 

http://www.seattlepi.com/health/67805_hepc25.shtml

http://www.nationalhepatitiscinstitute.org/message.htm

http://www.komonews.com/news/5923141.html

http://www.kitsapsun.com/bsun/local/article/0,2403,BSUN_19088_5361058,00.html

http://www.theolympian.com/legislature/story/760756.html

http://media.www.su-spectator.com/media/storage/paper948/news/2009/03/04/Entertainment/Wash-State.Senators.Push.For.Official.Piercing.Regulations-3659258.shtml

Dog Groomer caught for Selling pierced, ‘gothic’ kittens March 25, 2009

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,469724,00.html

WILKES-BARRE, Pennsylvania.  A dog groomer has been accused of animal cruelty after transforming cats into “gothic kittens” with ear, neck and tail piercings and trying to sell them on the Internet.

 

On December 17, after the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Luzerne found out about Crawfords market of pierced animals online for hundreds of dollars, she was charged of three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and three summary counts of cruelty by Humane officers.

 

Crawford, who has afirmed to have marketed pierced animals for hundreds of dollars said that she will plead not guilty, since she wasn’t aware of  the difference between piercing humans and animals. The procedure was the same, using sterile needles and surgical soap; the kittens were supervized several times a day to make sure that there was no such thing as an infection.

 

 ”When I did it, it wasn’t with any cruel intentions,” said Crawford, of rural Ross Township. “They were definitely loved, well-fed, no fleas, clipped nails. And they were happy.”

 

Crawford said her dog-grooming business, Pawside Parlor, has plummeted since the raid and that she has received dozens of nasty phone calls. “My name’s ruined, my reputation’s ruined, my business is ruined,” she said.

 

 

 

 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,469724,00.html
http://cbs5.com/watercooler/gothic.kittens.piercings.2.915961.html 

http://cbs2.com/watercooler/gothic.kittens.piercings.2.915961.html 

http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_11769644 

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11738739