Dan S

I copied this straight out form Reuters, but thought it was important enough to steal it and put the link here as well. Tattoo infections in U.S. linked to contaminated ink By Gene Emery Aug 22 (Reuters Health) - Contaminated tattoo ink caused at least 22 skin and soft tissue infections last fall in four U.S. states, according to an analysis released on Wednesday. The infections prompted an investigation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that uncovered 22 confirmed cases, 4 probable cases and 27 possible cases of contamination-related infections in New York, Washington, Iowa and Colorado. Products from four companies were implicated during the probe. None of the companies is identified in a CDC report, released in conjunction with a New England Journal of Medicine study of the New York cases. "People who get tattoos must be made aware of this risk and seek medical attention" if they get a rash or other abnormalities at the site, according to a commentary in the journal from a team led by Pamela LeBlanc of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The bacteria got into the containers when the manufacturer used distilled or reverse-osmosis water, which is not necessarily sterile. In the New York cases, which led to a recall by the Arizona-based manufacturer, the water was used to dilute black ink into various shades of gray. The New York cases involved infection with a bug called Mycobacterium chelonae, which caused reddish or purple raised bumps in the areas tattooed with gray. The infection can mimic an allergic reaction and be difficult to treat. "They were not getting better" with standard care, said Dr. Byron Kennedy of the Monroe County Department of Public Health in New York, the chief author of the New England Journal of Medicine study. "You had some folks who were on treatment for 6 months or more." The FDA does not directly regulate tattoo ink because it is regarded as a cosmetic, but it can intervene when a product has been adulterated or is regarded as unsafe. Currently, no FDA regulation specifically requires tattoo ink to be sterile, but some local jurisdictions, such as Los Angeles County, do require that sterile water be used when inks are diluted, according to the CDC report. CDC is encouraging doctors to keep track of such infections and report them to the FDA. About one in five Americans has tattoos, according to a 2012 Harris Interactive poll. SOURCES: bit.ly/PwHriF New England Journal of Medicine, August 23, 2012, and 1.usa.gov/10AZNP MMWR, August 22, 2012 (Reporting by Gene Emery in Providence, Rhode Island; Editing by Ivan Oransky and Cynthia Osterman) Tattoo infections in U.S. linked to contaminated ink | Reuters

@Duffa, Chicago is where Old Route 66 starts. It isn't even an official "Route" anymore, and it's hard to follow in a lot more, but it's still there. You wanna do that, hell, we can getcha a motorsickle and you can do it right!

There are a few things you'd probably want to take a pass on, Brother, but thanks!

NYC? Shit, @Duffa, come on to Chicago! Actually, that's right in the middle of the country...EVERYONE should come to Chicago!!!! I can put up a few of you, but if any Aussies make it, I'll reserve the first two couches for them-after that, it's floor space and camping! I've got 8 acres surrounded by about 500 acres of corn, so there's plenty-o-room for a tent, and you can be at the from door of DEluxe, Taylor Street, or CTC in under 2 hours.

Yeah...what's your point?!?!?!?!?!?!? - - - Updated - - - It's the hipness, str8-up. What's hip now was way out there in 1968 when I did my first. The stories are true-sailors, convicts, gangbangers, Greasers, J.D.'s....those were the people, for the very large part, getting tattooed. Hope to see you at the shop this evening, Eric.

Well, the arm they're on has got 20 years on you!

Bummer...it's been, let's see, 40 frkn years since I did that trip, once on the RR and once on the Dog...sucked both times!

Amtrak, my man, Amtrak. Let me know when and we'll definitely get together!

I started putting on my own when I was like 13, tried and true needle and thread. Figured out that you could use more or less thread to vary line thickness, and more or less exposed needle to vary shading. Also got around to soldering needles in a row to shade and make staright(er) lines. Of course, I had two years of sitting in a "secure youth facility" to spend practicing! My inspirations were the older guys in the 'hood, and the joints on south State Street in the arcades, and finally, I hit the jackpot and found CLiff Raven's Chicago Tattooing Company. It was just Raven's Tattoos then, but it was a trip. Still have one piece of my original handmade tattoos left, I'll never let go of it, but the rest are all covered, and I'm getting more all the time. 38 years in the same shop...shit, where's that thread about apprenticing?!

Guess I'll just say it out loud. PaulyWhore, member since 26 March 11, 48 whole posts, one image posted. Ursula Thaomson, member since 21 September 11, 1,219 posts, 17 images posted. I don't see the contest. Ursula is a steady, positive contributor, and Pauly, well, Pauly doesn't seem to be about much of anything. DTMFA. .02

Going in Wednesday for some work with Nick Colella at CTC. Gonna start pulling the pieces on my left arm together. Not positive yet, but I believe I'm gonna go with an old-ass piece off the wall, it's a golden dragon with a lady walking out of the center of it. Not really Japanese, but not really western-style, either...I suppose I'd have to say it's a western interpretation of an oriental dragon, probably from the late fifties/early sixties. Not sure how long we'll go, I've got one good chunk of arm left there that I'd estimate at 4 or 5 hours, so we'll see. I know, I know...I'm so boring, always the same time, same place!

Thank you. Didn't want any lunch anyhow.

You are probably right, Rev, but I figured it was more like a visceral reaction!

Thinking that whole "butthole tattoo" desciption has to be wrong. Fortunately, I couldn't see it clearly in the vid, but I don't believe you could actually tattoo the sphincter. Think of the colorful hemorroids. I'm thinking it's gotta be in, say, the REGION of the butthole? Like all around the outside of it?

That sucker gotta be worth a few bux these days. And I dunno, I was raised on German folklore, und ich hat nicht gehort den Hexe genamt "Ursala".

Roses...Dale Grande, circa 1974 or 1975.

Most excellent work! - - - Updated - - - Well...guess I just can't handle all the new pix. Just talked to Nick, and I'm on the books for Wednesday evening...we'll see what comes out of that!

Killer. Any chance of a bigger pic??? Ain't ribcages wonderful?!?!?!?!?!?!

I'd really enjoy watching you shoot a .45 holding it by the beavertail.

Respect is earned, not given. Yeah, I'm probably old enough to be your grandaddy. So what. Actually, no, I'm not a "representative" of anyone, I was merely pointing out to you the obvious, that there were several people posting on your thread that were trying to tell you something. Reading comprehension is a wonderful thing. Pauly, your sarcasm is just so rad, I don't hardly know what to say. I wouldn't claim to be "light-years ahead" of anyone on anything, but I would claim that you are demonstrating a remarkably developed grasp of trolling. No answer needed, that was pretty self-explanatory. No need to be jealous, there was no luck involved. I worked, I got paid, I paid Nick, he tattooed me. Works that way. Very perceptive. Well, I can only speak for myself, but FTW has been a saying to live by since I was much younger. If you think that "sounds tough", or whatever, that's on you. If that's some kind of left-handed challenge, come on with it. Leave us not net-bang. And I speak only for myself at all times unless I specifically say otherwise. Don't need cheering up, and don't watch vids people post on forums.

Squidpants...a "squid" is a sailor, and we all know those wild and crazy sailors get tattoos all over!

Makes sense to me. Full Back Pieces & Design especially.

FTW I can get behind that.

When my oldest, now 25, was born, my 'rents drove up from Arkansas to see him. I was seriously planning on putting a big set of H-D wings on his chest-the transfer-tattoo kind, but I relented at the last minute...figured Moms would stroke-out on the spot.

Here's something to say...you made this thread bogus without any help from anyone. What people are trying to tell you is that there is a very politically diverse group here, all shades of the spectrum from Left to Right. Why bitch-up a tattoo forum with political stuff? You got zip. Why should anyone spend the time to formulate a big, heavy, theological response to a lame question? I mean, shit, at least you could spend a minute trying to make it look a little bit like you're trying. Windows to the soul? Fuck are you on??? Only sensible thing you've got in here.