ModBlog News of the Week: October 28th, 2011

Well another week has gone by which means it’s time for another edition of the ModBlog News of the Week.  After missing last week’s news there’s quite a bit to get caught up on, so lets get going.

Now a few weeks back I linked to a story about parents complaining that there is a Barbie doll being sold with temporary tattoos that is offending some parents.  Well those offended parents must not have been keeping up on the latest Barbie news as they’re only now starting to complain about the Tokidoki branded Barbie.

The Internet is abuzz with the news that a recently released Barbie designed by the L.A.-based Tokidoki brand comes complete with a pale pink bob, stacked bracelets, an annoyed-looking pet named Bastardino (seriously) and, oh yeah, a ton of tattoos on her neck and shoulders.  Media outlets such as U.S. News & World Report and The Telegraph have suggested (with meager evidence) parents are outraged that Barbie has been tattooed. And on television, concerns about the doll’s new ink and its impact on children have been raised on the “Today” show, “Good Morning America” and CNN.

But here in L.A., the folks at the Tokidoki offices are shaking their heads in wonderment at the media frenzy and fielding phone calls in amusement.  It’s a lot of fuss over a $50 doll that has been marked “For adult collectors only,” they say.  “The doll was meant for adult collectors. Only 7,400 were made; it’s only available online,” a spokesperson for Tokidoki told The Times. “It’s not like your kid is going to pick this up at Target.”

The Tokidoki Barbie, which became available for sale Oct. 6, is just one of a series of collaborations that Mattel has done with designers over the years.  On Mattel’s Barbie Collector website, buyers can purchase a Barbie clad in a full leather cat suit designed by Christian Louboutin ($150), and a Countess Dracula Barbie with a deep-V dress that descends to below where her belly button would be, designed by Bob Mackie ($150).

For any Barbie related questions, please direct them to BME’s resident doll collector, and current owner of the Tokidoki Barbie, Jen.

Alright, there’s much more news to come, including a video that has been sent to me over 20 times in the past week.

I’m not sure who came up with the idea, but you would think that even if you tattoo people out of your kitchen or living room, you would recognize that tattooing a nine year old is a bad idea.  Well, someone in Scotland disagreed and now the police have to issue warnings like this one regarding “tattoo parties”.

A warning has been issued over illegal “tattoo parties” after a nine-year-old child was given a permanent tattoo.  In another incident in the Falkirk area an adult gave tattoos to adults under the age of 18 at a party involving alcohol and drugs.  Central Scotland Police has issued a warning over the practice of tattooing children after they had received reports of both recent incidents.

Sergeant Allyson Blair, of the interventions, intelligence and information bureau, said that current laws only allow for under-18s to receive a tattoo to indicate a medical condition such as a chronic illness or allergy.  She added: “The legislation states that it is an offence to tattoo a person under the age of eighteen except when the tattoo is performed for medical reasons by a duly qualified medical practitioner or by a person under his direction.  “Further research is being carried out into the information we have received but we would strongly advise anyone who is carrying out such acts to think of the potential consequences both in legal and criminal terms as well as health implications.”

Speaking of bad ideas, a Wisconsin man was arrested last week after breaking into a tattoo studio in the middle of the night.

Over the weekend, police arrested an intoxicated man for breaking into a North Frances Street apartment and a tattoo parlor allegedly to “get a tattoo on his buttocks” at 1:24 a.m. Sunday morning.  When officers arrived, they found the suspect inside Big Guns Tattoo acting “agitated and confused,” according to the report from Madison Police spokesperson Joel DeSpain.  The report said the man “reeked of alcohol,” slurred his speech and claimed he was at the parlor “getting a tattoo.”

A concerned citizen alerted police early Sunday morning after witnessing the suspect “smash through two glass doors” in the 400 block of North Frances Street, according to a police report.  The citizen who reported the incident said the suspect was outside the tattoo parlor earlier in the evening “yelling something about needing to get a tattoo on his buttocks.”

Police arrested the suspect, 22-year-old Ryan Brennan, on two counts of criminal damage to property, two counts of entry into a locked building and underage possession and consumption alcohol off licensed premises.

For some reason I don’t think he used the word “buttocks” in his late night drunken ramblings.  There was no report on what design he was looking to get.

Police in Adelaide, Australia have turned to local tattoo artists to help find a suspect in a sexual assault case.

The victim, who was attacked on October 19 after the suspect broke in to her Croydon home, has worked with police and a tattoo artist to recreate the tattoo.  The victim saw a tattoo of a woman on her attacker’s inner left forearm.  Police have canvassed up to 30 tattoo parlours and studios across Adelaide in an attempt to identify any men with a similar tattoo.  Sexual Crime Investigation Branch Detective Sergeant Simon Bell said the tattoo was the police’s strongest lead to identify the suspect.  “The tattooist community that we have spoken to has been extremely helpful,” he said.  “We have had a great amount of assistance from the tattooist community where the artists have spoken with our victim, with our assistance, and they have created a likeness to the tattoo that the victim saw on the suspect’s arm.”

If you live in or around Adelaide and recognize this design, the article has a list of contact information you can use to get in touch with the police.

In legislative news, the Welsh government is looking to put in place age restrictions on piercings.  As it stands currently, Wales has no minimum age limits for any type of piercing.

Under-16s would be stopped from having cosmetic piercings without their parents’ permission under a proposal from the Welsh government.  It will consult on whether there should be a legal age of consent for piercings, including to ears.  Ministers fear young people being exposed to problems after being pierced, such as infections.  Health Minister Lesley Griffiths said there had been tragic cases when people had died after being pierced.  There is no minimum age of consent in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for piercing. Under-16s in Scotland need parental consent.  The Welsh consultation will ask whether new restrictions are needed and, if so, how they should be implemented.  In a statement to AMs on Tuesday, Ms Griffiths said: “If a minimum age of consent for cosmetic piercing were introduced in Wales, I would favour setting the age at 16 years.”

If you read the article all the way through, the comments section has some comedy gold:

“Tongue piercings are basically a sex aid, like nipple and genital piercings, and should be illegal for under-16s for this reason.”

The US Military is also looking to change some of their rules regarding modifications, in particular tattoos and manicures.

We don’t often think of strict military standards being decided over Facebook. But several weeks ago Sergeant Major Raymond F. Chandler III posted a proposal on his Facebook wall: do the army standards for personal appearance need to be stricter?

Over the next few months, we will be revising AR 670-1. We are especially looking at Chapter 1, which deals with grooming standards. What parts of that chapter do you want to see changed? Give me your thoughts on earrings for females in ACUs, or if French-tipped fingernails should be allowed. What about tattoos? Do visible tattoos in ACUs (neck, hands, etc.) keep us from being professional Soldiers? Thanks again for all who voice their opinions but remember to keep it professional.

Chandler and his fellow military leaders are looking to tighten up the rules, he told the Army Times. “I believe that we can better visualize to the American people and the Army what it means to be an American soldier than we’re doing now,” he said.

I’m not 100% of the legitimacy of this story simply because it came from The Huffington Post’s style section, and they spent more time worrying about the impact not having french tips would have on women in the military.

More news this week from Springfield, Mo.  As many of you know, the local AGRO chapter has come under fire by some city councilors and are facing the possibility of having suspensions forced indoors.  This week things have finally taken a turn in a positive direction as the local media published a story defending their right to suspend in their own backyards.

It must be our age showing, but we don’t get the Anti Gravity Relaxation Organization’s use of hooks threaded under the skin for suspension in the air. Heck, we don’t even like splinters.  But in any case, we don’t really believe this is such a popular and growing pastime in Springfield that a new city ordinance is needed at this time.  A proposed ordinance would follow the state’s lead and not allow the practice if the state prohibits it. The draft would also prohibit the use of public parks or property.  But the city’s action may have more to do with it being uncomfortable — not just for the practitioners, but observers.  A suspension session held in a nearby private backyard recently prompted concerns by neighbors Aaron and Cathy King. We can understand that it was a problem for these parents. But a bit of rope and some sheets by one party or the other after a brief conversation might have been the immediate solution.

No one is arguing that suspension practitioners don’t have the right to push pointy steel into their skin.  In fact, a quick Internet check finds that this practice of suspension appears to have followers not only in a number of states but around the world. Practitioners reference the spiritual as well as the social aspects to the activity. Addressing the health issues is evidently a real concern of the people involved — though you are still wounding your body.  The issue for us is whether this has reached the level of city involvement. We believe the staff and City Council time should be spent on more pressing issues. If there comes a time when suspension clubs proliferate in the Ozarks or fishing enthusiasts report a shortage of hooks, then it can become a matter of public concern.  Shane Shields, co-founder of the local group, has said AGRO will make some concessions. So for now, we urge AGRO members to be good neighbors. A less conspicuous site would be best.

I’ll continue to keep an eye on this and report back on any new developments.

To those of us that are tattooed, how long was your longest tattoo session?  6 hours?  8?  10?  Well if your name is James Llewellyn that number may soon be 50.

A charity fundraiser is attempting to break a world record – by going under a tattooist’s needle for 50 hours.  James Llewellyn, a 27-year-old call centre manager, will have a large and intricate design drawn onto his leg in a bid to set a new Guinness World Record for the longest tattoo session.  The extensive piece of body art, featuring scenes from the Bible and Milton’s classic Paradise Lost, will be completed by Blackwood tattooist Dave Fleet.  James, who lives in Cardiff, will put himself through the ordeal at the city’s Grosvenor Casino to raise money for Cancer Research Wales – a charity close to his heart.

James, who already has a number of tattoos, but has been on a healthy diet and has gone through hypnotherapy to help deal with the pain of the 50-hour-long tattoo session.  Tattooist Dave, who owns the Abracadabra parlour in Blackwood, has 33 years of experience with a needle, but has never worked on a tattoo for more than 10 hours.  He said: “I’m not nervous yet, but I may be when I’m there. I’ll do it though, no problem and long as James will sit through it.”  Most of James’ tattoo will be hand drawn by Dave, who will have to adapt the designs to fit onto the leg.

Honestly, I can’t even begin to imagine what that would be like.

Alright, for today’s last story, it’s the video that so many of you have sent to me.  Montreal’s Rick Genest, also known as Zombie Boy to many of you, has had a busy year.  After being selected by stylist Nicolas Formichetti to showcase Mulger’s spring collection, he was then featured in Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” video.  Now Rick has become the spokesmodel for Dermablend make-up, which has garnered him even more attention thanks to this brilliant piece of advertising.

And that’s all for this week.  Remember to keep sending me those news articles, and make sure to take lots of pictures this weekend.  Halloween is on Monday and I’m hoping to see some great costume and pumpkin photos!  Have a great weekend folks, and remember to be safe.