It’s been a busy week in the world of modified news, with a lot of old stories getting followed up on, as well as people losing jobs the believe it or not, are tied to tattoos and piercings, but not in the ways you may think.  Of course, the week wouldn’t be complete with some celebrity-type news, however, most of it isn’t just gossip about some celebutant’s new tattoo.

Well, lets get things started off with a little good clean fun.

You may have heard in the news that a police officer was fired for posting a picture on his facebook account of his patrol car being washed at a bikini car wash.  Well it turns out, it wasn’t just any ordinary bikini car wash.  The event was being put on by a South Carolina tattoo studio, which called the car wash, “Tits for Tats”.  Classy, I know.  The money was going to charity, so we can let the name slide.  As the story goes, the male officer took a picture of four of the ladies washing the cruiser.  When it was discovered online, the officer lost his job as it was against policy to allow a scantily clad woman to pose next to an official vehicle (even if the officer was off-duty).  Now here’s where the story gets interesting.

A female Berkeley County, S.C., sheriff’s deputy was not disciplined, despite the fact that she was actually in a bikini participating in the scrubbing of cars.  Apparently, police departments don’t have similar policies concerning their female employees moonlighting as the center of attention in bikini events.

So with that in mind, which of these young ladies do you think is the off-duty officer?  If it helps, the event was co-hosted by a strip club, but only one of the dancers were participating.  The rest were management and friends of the tattoo studio.

Keep on reading to find out who else had job problems, as well as some follow ups to past stories, and a picture that may make you think twice about ever having plastic surgery.

So while the officer in South Carolina was fired not as a direct result from anything modification related, a woman in England found out that people who are supposed to help others find jobs, can be exceedingly biased towards someone with piercings and tattoos.

Hayley O’Neil, 23, – who also has 20 body piercings – says was also advised to ”stand behind a wall” when she asked a job centre official what post she could apply for.  She eventually left the Job centre plus centre in Blackburn Lancs in tear without any interviewers lined up after the advisor concluded: ”Who would hire you looking like that?”.  Miss O’Neil, who got her first tattoo from her mother as an 18th birthday present said: ”I just felt so humiliated. I couldn’t believe what this guy was saying.  ”I said I could take the the piercings out but they look a lot worse when they are out.”

“The guy said: ‘on first impressions do you think anyone would hire you?’ He said: ‘look at it this way if you were to stand behind a wall – or put a paper bag over your face do you think you would have a better chance?’

Well that’s a good piece of advice to follow.  If there is the possibility that you may not get a job based on your personal appearance, it’s best to put a bag over your head.  Seriously though, while some places of employment may not exactly be accepting of facial piercings, to tell someone to stick a bag on their head to get a job is a little harsh.  Especially considering there are a lot of people out there who are much more heavily modified than her that are holding down jobs without issue.

Of course, not everyone has this difficulty when it comes to their workplace.  In fact, in the case of Billy Gibby (now known as Hostgator Dotcom), he makes his living by getting tattooed.

Gibby’s face now features color tattoos for adult websites PornHub, Cam4, HotMovies, plus HipHopBling and several others. Three Anchorage companies have ponied up cash to advertise on Gibby—Liberty Tax Service, Chilkoot Charlie’s, and Gunrunners. And he’s been featured in magazines like Rebel Ink and Bizarre. (Gibby uses a sort of tattoo-covering makeup when he has to go to, say, parent-teacher conferences at his kids’ school.)

It didn’t end there though: About a month ago Billy Gibby legally changed his name to Hostgator Dotcom, for a fee of course. “The judge asked me if I was changing my name to avoid debts,” Hostgator says. “I said, no judge, I’m doing this to pay off my debts.”

To be fair Hostgator is also an amateur boxer, so he has that to fall back on when he runs out of room.

In other news, you might recall the story that circulated this summer about the group of boys that bullied a 14-year-old to get tattooed.  Since this past summer the boys have been placed on trial, and the jury has rendered a verdict in the case of the ringleader of the group.

The ringleader of teens who bullied a 14-year-old boy into being tattooed on his butt was sentenced this morning to six months in jail.

Blake Vannest, 18, of 233 Garvins Falls Road, apologized to the victim’s family prior to being sentenced in Merrimack County Superior Court. The boy, who must undergo five laser treatments to remove the lewd tattoo, did not attend the sentencing.  Vannest, dressed in orange jail wear and his brushed blond hair in need of a cut, pleaded guilty to simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child. A felony charge of criminal restraint was dropped.

The boy who got tattooed will still have to undergo a few more sessions of laser treatment to remove the tattoo, but it’s good to know that this type of thing didn’t go unpunished.

As a quick follow-up to last week’s story about the young girl being suspended for having her nostril pierced, it seems that the Church of Body Modification is still not being recognized by the principal.  An offer was put forward to the girl, and I think you’ll probably understand why she refused it.

School policy says the rule can be waived for a student’s “sincerely held religious belief.” The compromise offered by school leaders this week said Ariana could return to Clayton High School if she covers the piercing with a bandage until she graduates four years from now, said Katy Parker, an attorney for the ACLU, which has taken on the case.  ”We don’t think she has an obligation to do it,” Parker said. “We think it’s unreasonable to ask a student to wear a Band-Aid on her face for the next four years.”

I tend to agree with the ACLU on this one.  Its interesting to think what would have happened if the girl belonged to another religion where nostril piercings are standard practice.  But because the principal doesn’t believe she holds her religious beliefs seriously, the girl is now facing expulsion.

A similar story also popped up this week from Florida, where a girl was suspended from school and forced to change to an alternative learning center because an administrator thought that her tattoo was gang related, even though the girl claims the smiling/crying drama masks are representative of her twin sisters.  The girl previously attended the school without hassle even while sporting tattoos dedicated to her parents.

In convention news, the International London Tattoo Convention started up today and will continue all weekend long.  Taking place at The Tattoo Dock, ticket prices range from £20-25, and the convention is open from noon until 2am on Saturday, and noon to 7:30pm Sunday.

Before we get to the celebrity news, I found this interesting article from Helium.com that discusses the usage of tattoos and piercings in the bible, and how many people have taken some of the quotes out of context in order to discourage others from getting modified.  It’s definitely worth a quick read, especially if you’ve ever been faced with someone who believes your choices will make you “spend an eternity in hell”.  My favorite part was where the author points out that if you trim your beard, you’ll suffer worse than if you got a tattoo.

So, it’s finally time for the celebrity “news”.  This week, we’ll start off with singer Lily Allen.  It seems that after listening to the radio one day, she got infuriated with what she heard, and decided to tweet about it.

Lily, 25, tweeted: ‘Listening to lots of small minded people on radio 2 slagging off people with tattoos.

‘Get a life you silly curtain twitching snobs.’

Can someone please explain the proper usage of “silly curtain twitching snobs” as I’d love to be able to use it in an argument one day.

If you went out to see the new Ben Affleck directed film “The Town” you may notice that one of the tough guys in the film is sporting a distinct tattoo.

McLaughlin, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound, fourth-generation longshoreman from the square mile, plays Rusty, henchman to actor Pete Postlethwaite’s (“In the Name of the Father”) villain Fergus Colm.  Intimidating stature aside, McLaughlin said it was his unique tattoo that caught Affleck’s eye.

An outline of the commonwealth of Massachusetts – filled in with the colors of the Irish flag and Charlestown’s zip code – covers McLaughlin’s right forearm.  According to McLaughlin, Affleck loved the tat so much, the studio flew the Townie out to Los Angeles for a close-up of the ink job.

Well, this should give some hope to the woman from the earlier story.  Mr.McLaughlin was able to get a good job because of his tattoo, so I’m sure she’ll be able to get a job without having to put a paper bag over her head.

I mentioned earlier about a story that will make you reconsider plastic surgery, well this is it.  You may remember Pete Burns from the 80s band Dead or Alive, famous for the song You Spin Me Round (YouTube link here for the earworm).  Well Pete recently won a settlement in a case against his plastic surgeon for a horribly botched procedure.  Last week, Pete was out on the town showing off his newest modifications, a series of microdermals along his eyebrows and cheekbones.  If you don’t remember what Pete looked like before, the article has a nice side-by-side comparison for you.

A year ago Pete won £450,000 in damages from his cosmetic surgeon Dr Maurizio Viel who the singer claimed left him ‘suicidal’ after several botched lip implants between 2000 and 2004.  ‘As I looked in the mirror it felt like everything I had worked for was ruined due to the disabling injuries I suffered caused by Dr Maurizio Viel,’ Burns said in September last year.  ’I am just glad the case is now over.’  ’It is a terrible experience living with the trauma and worry of injury and disability and to have to re-live and recount the details and circumstances of how your injuries happened for the purposes of evidence for the court.’  He added: ‘It has taken away my life and my career. I saw doctors in London who said the only option was to amputate my lips. I was suicidal.’

Thankfully Pete is still with us, and has a single coming out sometime soon.  And it’s good to see that he’s moved forward with his life and is continuing to get modified (albeit in a much less drastic manner).

So that’s it for this week.  I hope you all have a great weekend, and I’ll see everyone back here Monday.

Oh, and if you come across a news story you think should be in next week’s news round-up, just click here to submit the link.

This week’s news is coming to you from Chicago.  As the first stop on my trip around North America most of the time has been spent getting ready with my road trip buddy for the coming months.  Just because I’m on the road, doesn’t mean the news is going to stop.  So, with that said, let’s see what has happened in the world since last week’s update.

We’re going to start this week by taking a look at how modified people are making a positive impact in their communities.  Be it through their art, setting an example for others, or taking time to help out those who can’t help themselves, all these individuals have taken their modifications and used them for something positive.

First up we have Wafaa Bilal, an Iraqi artist who is using his skin as a canvas to bring attention to the continuing loss of life in the war with Iraq.

Over the next 24 hours, they would be barraged by dots of ink, thousands and thousands of them — each representing a casualty of the Iraq war. The dots are tattooed near the city where the person died: red ink for the American soldiers, ultraviolet ink for the Iraqi civilians, invisible unless seen under black light.  “We are talking about 100,000 Iraqis who have died and 5,000 American soldiers,” Bilal says. “They’re not visible. Many people don’t even know the number.”

Continue reading to hear about more people like Wafaa, as well as some followup to stories from the past few weeks, some interesting perspectives on religion and body modifications, and the return of the celebrity roundup!

In New Hampshire Steve Manchini, a high school drop out, has returned to school and is proving to his community that heavily modified young people can succeed when given the opportunity to.

Manchini wears glass earrings that are nearly 3 inches in diameter. His first piercing came at age 14. He has six tattoos. And no matter the weather, he wears flip flops.  Despite quitting school his sophomore year, Manchini will graduate this month with honors, placing him closer to a goal of attending medical school. He wants to major in neuroscience, the study of the brain and nervous system.

A little south of Steve, in Ashville NC, Freaks & Geeks Tattoo Sideshow is holding their annual “Tattooing Paws for a Cause” event this month.

The centerpiece of the campaign is a 12-hour pet paw print tattoo and body piercing marathon from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, June 27, at Freaks & Geeks. During that day, patrons may choose from four paw print tattoo designs for the deeply discounted price of $40. Diamond Thieves Body Piercing owner Daron James will provide above-the-neck and belly button piercings during the daylong event for the reduced cost of $15. All clients will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Proceeds from the marathon will benefit the Humane Society, which will have a number of pets up for adoption on site during the event.

In addition the shop will act as both a donation center for people looking to donate to the Humane Society, as well as providing information regarding adoption.  If you’re in the area and have some time, swing on by and either get some work done, or make a donation.

Finally we have an interview with Dawn Kasper, an LA based artist that incorporates branding and scarification into her performance art.

In one performance, she branded the word “love” onto the skin of her inner bicep. (She followed with “truth” on the other bicep several years later.) In another, she carved the shape of a heart into the middle of her chest, an unsettlingly visible expression, one could say, of wearing her heart on her sleeve. The scars of both remain.

June also appears to be a good month in the news for artists that incorporate tattoos into their work.  In Hammonton NJ, the Noyes Museum is hosting an exhibit entitled “The Art of Tattoo”, featuring not only photos of tattoos, but also original sketches and paintings.  Melbourne tattoo artist Jessica Swaffer, is featured this week in on thevine.com.au.  Jessica’s watercolors are a modern take on late 1800s pornography, mixed with classical tattoo imagery.  Over on the west coast, OCWeekly has done a photo essay on local chefs and their body art.  And really, who doesn’t love good food mixed with a splash of color.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago about how three Canadian provinces have no regulations in place when it comes to any form of body modifications.  Well it seems that those provinces aren’t the only places that are looking at doing something with regards to regulations.  In Florida, governor Charlie Crist signed into law new legislation dealing with age restrictions, as well as health standards.

Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law Friday a bill that bans children and teenagers younger than 16 from being tattooed and requires those 16 to 18 to bring a parent to give permission before they get inked. The law (HB 729) also regulates tattoo artists for the first time. They must get a license, take an infection control course and pass an annual test.

The only downside I’m seeing to this is that the law doesn’t take effect until January 2012, which means for another year or so Florida will still be following the old rules.  While Florida is taking steps forward, it seems California is digging its heels in and not making any progress.

Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, who was born with hepatitis B, stepped in, introducing a bill to codify the standards.  Supported by health officers, blood banks and the body-art industry, it sailed through the Assembly and Senate in 2009 with virtually no dissent. But when it landed on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk, to the astonishment of all, he vetoed it, saying he didn’t see the point.

There currently is another bill pending, being supported by even more groups, so hopefully the Governator will allow it to be passed instead of arbitrarily vetoing it again.

Taking a quick look at some of the stories that I mentioned in the past, the student that was assaulted by his classmates and forced to have his ass tattooed has relocated and plans to finish out the school year at a new school.  The jury has begun deliberations in the case of the father who tattooed a gang symbol on his seven year-old son.  While the prosecution has presented the case as a straightforward assault/child endangerment suit, the defense is claiming “the jury has to find Gonzalez and Gorman not guilty if they are not willing to convict a parent for piercing their kids’ ear or getting them circumcised”.  Now I can’t recall if I mentioned this story before, but Curtis Allgier, who has been charged with killing a prison guard, is asking for permission to cover his extensive facial tattoos while in court. so that he can get a fair trial.

In certain cultures and religions, body modifications are frowned upon, and in some cases considered a sin.  This week I came across two articles about modifications and religion, that surprisingly don’t take a negative turn.  In the first article two Rabbis answer the question “What should I do about my tattoos before converting?”

Moreover, the tattoos condemned by the original ban were carried out either as a form of self-harm as part of excessive grief over a bereavement, or they were a religious rite belonging to a pagan faith.  These are not in the same category as the ones you bear, which were probably done for decorative reasons. I also assume they are permanent and cannot be removed, otherwise that would be an easy solution.  Still, by definition, the act of conversion implies both “turning away from” a certain lifestyle and “turning towards” a new path. You cannot undo your past, either the visible bits or the invisible aspects, but what counts is the person you are now and who you wish to become.

The second story is about a Christian church in Springfield MO that has taken a significantly different stance on body modification than the majority of Evangelical churches.

“In the lobby of the south-side Springfield church, one wall is covered with photos of members proudly displaying their tattoos.  “

The church has taken the position of embracing the modifications of it’s parishoners as something to be celebrated, not condemned.  For me personally, this sounds like a great step forward and hopefully more churches follow suit.

Now I know everyone’s favorite section is the celebrity roundup, but I’ve got two more stories to go before we get to the good stuff.

On Judge Judy recently a tattoo artist was being sued by a former employee.  Unfortunately he made the mistake of trying to tell Judge Judy how to do her job.

In my favorite article I found this week, an author holds nothing back in describing his feelings towards tattoos.  I’ll just let him speak for himself, I’m sure you’ll have some choice words for him by the time you’re finished reading it.

And now ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the celebrity roundup!

Well, it turns out that all of us tattooed Modblog readers have gotten our ink because we’re following the trend set by pioneers such as Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie, and something called a Justin Bierber.

Speaking of Megan Fox, everyone’s favorite toe-thumbed, robot fighting, motorcycle riding, starlet has gotten herself tattoo number nine (I know I shouldn’t be shocked there are people keeping count, but really?)

When I say the words “rugby player” what are the first things you think of?  Maybe it’s Matt Damon in Invictus, or is it the sterotyped image of a huddle of the toughest guys on the planet beating the shit out of each other.  Well, it turns out some of those guys just aren’t that tough.

A new tattoo is understood to be behind Jake Friend’s latest brush with the law, with the Sydney Roosters hooker arrested for possessing two valium tablets without prescription after being searched by police in Coogee on Saturday night.  The Herald was told Friend had the tablets to relieve pain from tattoo work done last week, as well as help with anxiety, and will plead not guilty to the charge.”

Supposedly there’s some books about vampires that have gotten popular in the past couple years.  I’m not entirely sure what they’re about, but I think glitter is involved.  Well, I guess these books have gotten the actors in the films based on the books famous.  So famous that the fans are getting themselves tattooed with their autographs.  After looking at the pictures, I just have one question, isn’t that Shark Boy on the right?

Finally, it turns out that a rock star getting tattooed is news.  I know, I was shocked too.  Well, thanks to twitter, we can all see Courtney Love‘s latest pieces of art.  Also, the rock and roll lifestyle has taken it’s toll on Metallica’s James Hetfield.  After getting his latest tattoo, he’s looking to make himself the new poster boy for the straightedge movement.  Any straightedge types have any thoughts on this?

So that’s it for this week’s news.  Next week I should be somewhere in Colorado, so once I get to a wifi hotspot, you can expect to see the latest collection of mod related news from around the world.

Thanks again to Botexty for the Aussie submissions, and if anyone else comes across a story you think should be on Modblog, feel free to submit it here.  Have a great week everyone, and take care.