Happy Nigel Tufnel day!  In honor of Mr. Tufnel, I encourage all of you to turn something up to 11.

Now in addition to it being Nigel Tufnel day, it is also Remembrance day here in Canada (Veteran’s day in the US), so I thought it would be appropriate to start today’s news off with a piece about tattooed Marines serving in Afghanistan.

One Marine has the image of a woman with flowing hair, gripping a skull close to her chest, inked on his bicep.  “Me and my wife were talking one night and we were just asking each other stupid questions,” Cpl Erik Johnson said.  He asked her, “If I ever died, would you let you go?” She answered, “No.”  A week later, Johnson was medevacked from a grade III concussion he suffered during an IED blast. Soon, he returned to duty with three more months of the deployment to complete.

In another clip, a Marine shows his “meat tags,” which is Marine jargon for tattoos of dog tags, which identify the dead and wounded by using their names, Social Security numbers, blood type and religion for last rites.  “It’s used to identify your body when nothing else is left,” said Hospital Corpsman Jason Houches, pulling up his shirt to reveal his dog tags inked on his side.

It’s late in the day, but please remember to take some time to remember those brave souls who have given their lives to protect yours.

Lots more news to some, including some announcements regarding upcoming events, as well as a warning about a scam targeting tattoo artists.

I’ve gotten several e-mails about this over the past couple of weeks so I wanted to get into this right away.  Evidently there is someone (or a group of people) that is trying to scam money from tattoo studios all along the east coast.  The scam starts with an e-mail to the studio inquiring about pricing for ~10 people to get the same tattoo.  Here’s an example of one of the e-mails.

Hello this is thomas i want you to draw a smallest size cat and the location i want you draw for them on there Back Shoulder and also going to use 1 hour in each person and i want you to get back to me with the total estimate for 10 peoples and the party is coming up this month august next week Friday i also want you to know that the peoples who will come to have the tattoo will come with my private transportation driver…so that i can get back to you with my credit card information to charge for all expenses i want you to get back to me with the type of credit card accepted and i also want you to know that i have attach you the pix of the tattoo and i want you to know that i want just approximately one hour towards the tattoo.and i also want you to get back to me with your cell phone number and shop address so that i can have your shop information complete with me so that i can forward to the driver who will drop the peoples to infront of your shop…that i want you to draw for me okay bye for now stay blessed,

The name changes from e-mail to e-mail, but the general idea is that they book a time for the group to get tattooed, then they ask you to pay the limo driver in cash so that he can then go and get the group.  As you can guess, there is no group, and they’re trying to make a quick buck by promising the studio a lot of clients.  I’ve heard stories from New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia, so I’d imagine the states in between are also being targeted.  So keep an eye out for e-mails from Tommy Luck and Lanza Juliet, or any that are similar to the one above.

In New Zealand an annual business challenge called “Grow Wellington Bright Ideas Challenge” awarded top prize to Gillian Parkinson for her tattoo healing oils.

As an aromatologist she uses essential oils to treat a range of conditions including stress and depression and – as of a year ago – to help tattoos heal.  Her Tinkture Tattoo After Care product won the consumer product category of this year’s Grow Wellington Bright Ideas Challenge, which recognises the capital’s best new business ideas.  The product is a secret combination of therapeutic-grade essential and carrier oils which helps prevent infection and reduces the pain, bruising and swelling that can accompany new tattoos, Parkinson says, helping them to heal faster.

“I had a tattoo done on my arm and used an aftercare product. A week later my arm was still swollen and bruised right down to my wrist.”After her next tattoo she tried her own concoction.  “The initial swelling was gone overnight and there was no bruising. It completely healed within 10 days. The tattoo artist was amazed at how quickly it healed.” Working with Cuba St tattoo parlour ALC Headquarters, she tested Tinkture on a range of people before deciding it was ready for the marketplace.  “We were getting rave reviews,” she said.  Parkinson estimates she has sold 600 bottles. She plans to increase stockists overseas and in New Zealand where she says tattoos are especially popular, in part because of the traditions of Maori and Pacific Islanders.

It’s also completely vegan friendly, which is helping it gain in popularity.  Hopefully I’ll be able to snag a bottle when she starts shipping overseas to try it out.

Over in Australia a few young men were treated by paramedics after things got a little out of hand at their barbecue.

The men were at a barbecue in Toowoomba on the weekend when they decided to brand themselves.  “We thought it would be a good idea to grab the stoker and give ourselves a brand,” Luke Moroney told Nine News. The men were treated by paramedics for second- and third-degree burns.  The friends have since had trouble sitting down and some of the burns are infected.  “It’s definitely going to be there for the rest of my life,” said Mr Moroney.

In North America, we call that a normal BME BBQ.

A program starting up in Bolton in the UK is reminiscent of one that was started in Australia earlier this year.  The idea is for health workers to visit schools and to educate students on the risks involved with piercings, and why going to a clean shop is safer than getting your friends to do it at home.

Now chiefs at NHS Bolton and Bolton council have joined forces to launch a new campaign to try to reduce the risk of infection. They have set up a website, telling teenagers what to expect from piercing studios, how to look after a piercing and what to do if it becomes infected. Posters are being displayed in schools and youth centres, as well as in piercing studios and local cinemas.

The literature uses quick response codes – which can be scanned using smartphones – giving young people fast access to the information.  It’s not illegal for under 16s to get a piercing but a reputable studio will contact a parent or guardian for their consent.  Bosses said they hope the campaign will reduce the number of unnecessary infections – which are caused by bacteria getting into the wound – and make young people think more about the responsibilities of having a piercing.  Jan Hutchinson, director of public health for Bolton, said: “As with any surgical procedure, there’s always the risk of infection. This can be vastly reduced if a piercing is properly looked after.”  Students Harper Green School and Arts College in Farnworth were first to test the site, www.theholetruth.co.uk.

Personally I think this is a much better approach than outright banning piercings.  Kids need to be told how to do things safely, because if you tell them not to do something, you can be damn sure they’ll find a way to do it.

Of course, not every part of the world is as progressive.  Over in Nigeria people are becoming very upset at the idea of tattoos becoming popular.

Some parents in Benin have decried the rising spate of young men and women wearing tattoo on their body in the name of fashion.  Mrs Taiwo Egwakhide, a school teacher in Benin on Wednesday said that she disliked tattoos and would not allow her children to wear them no matter how beautiful.  Egwakhide said that tattoo was a Western habit, adding that Nigerians were in the habit of imitating the Western world in everything they did whether right or wrong.  “Anything the whiteman does, most Nigerians will begin to do, whether good or bad. How can somebody just sit down and you begin to draw tattoo on your body?  “It means that you do not like the way God created you and you want to add to it by designing tattoo on your body. I see it as an immoral act.

Prof. Ewan Alufkhai, a Surgeon, and former Vice-Chancellor of the Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, said that there was no prove to show the medical side effect of tattoo on the human body.  Alufkha explained that tattoo wearing started with the lesbians and the gays, stressing that “it has now became a fashion trend for those who wear it”.  “I think it is a thing of interest for those who wear tattoo. It is fashion according to them,” he said.  A Cleric, Mr James Achala, a Pastor of the Deliverance Prayer Ministry, described the act as satanic. adding that tattoo freaks no matter the reasons had lost faith in God.

I suppose none of the people they spoke to were Fulani or Hausa, as both Nigerian tribes are known for their facial tattoos.

Finally, in what shouldn’t come as a surprise to a number of ModBlog readers, it turns out that people have been playing the “Guess What?” game for over 12,000 years.

Men in prehistoric Europe scarred, pierced and tattooed their penises, likely for ritualistic and social group reasons, according to a new study.  Analysis of phallic decorations in Paleolithic art, described in the December issue of The Journal of Urology, may also show evidence of the world’s first known surgery performed on a male genital organ. The alteration, or surgery, might have just been for ornamental purposes, or a piercing, the researchers suggest.

“Making scars, holes to pick bones, and also writing on the skin — tattooing — may add meaning to an otherwise ‘silly body,’” he added. “If one or several marks became popular or fashionable, they may be culturally elected as ‘fancy’ and ‘desirable.’ The face and areas around natural orifices are parts of the body with a higher tendency to be decorated and shown.”

So remember, the next time you see a Guess What? post and think it’s genitals, you’re probably right, as men have been doing fun stuff to themselves for thousands of years.

One quick announcement, this weekend First Blood is hosting their annual Hooks and Hearts suspension event.  So if you’re interested in attending, get in touch with the crew at First Blood.

Speaking of events.  If you haven’t heard, BME is hosting a New Year’s Eve party at BME HQ just outside of Richmond, Virginia.  Everyone is welcome, so book your hotel room early (near King’s Dominion outside of Richmond), and we’ll see you there.

As always, send me an e-mail if you find a story you think should be included in next week’s news post.

Have a great weekend everyone.