When temperature over here sinks lower and lower, it’s hard to believe that somewhere else people are readying for the summer. They are, however, and the Australian doctors launched a health campaign warning against risks related to body piercings.

More news from the southern hemisphere: a big success of the Taiwanese tattoo artists and an interesting idea from Japan: Kewpie dolls with tattoos.

The news from the US include Kate Hellenbrand’s unfortunate accident, a deal involving MSU tattoo-match technology and a small update on one of the American ‘tattoo schools.’

Europe: a photography exhibit showing tattooed women  and a documentary about Mara Salvatrucha from Germany, interesting and quite amusing news about the ‘Queen’ Helen Mirren who (surprise surprise) has a tattoo and hates it and a down-to-earth and stripped of any celeb-like pretensions interview with a local English tattooist.

Something for indirectly-related category was submitted by Bastian (thank you!): an interview with Dolly Parton where, in a way, she discusses her own take on body modification.