The uproar around BP and the catastrophe they are responsible for got quieter although it’s sad and true that people living in the areas most affected by the spill will be paying for it for years to come (or, rather, it will affect all of us). All we get to hear is official news, so here something way more personal and telling how ordinary people from the spill-affected areas must feel: ‘tattoo artist ‘screams’ against BP with painting.’

I do believe that ordinary people can make a difference, so here another local initiative to help others: ‘backpacks for tatts’ in TN.

More related and still important question from Canada: ‘Government urged to ink laws regulating tattoos, piercings;’ it’s interesting also because it briefly discusses how looks the legal side of the industry in different Canadian provinces.

Also from Canada an article about a tattoo convention focusing on a Tahitian artist, Tautu, quite prominently featured in a new book by Tricia Allen.

Something from the Old World in articles from the UK: ‘Edinburgh proves a just capital for fans of tattoos’ present a handful of information on the current tattoo-related statistics while ‘current trends in tattoo art’ are all about, yep, current tattoo trends.

This one shows that not all of us go for self-expression: ‘Billy the Billboard and his tattoo sponsorships.’

A short history lesson for all who might be interested: in July 1410 a Polish army won a battle which memory stays alive among Poles even now. During a famous Battle of Grunwald the Poles destroyed quite huge and well equipped an army of Teutonic Knights. Ever since then, whenever the Poles got a chance to win against the Germans (and it seldom happened), the spirit of the Battle of Grunwald was recalled and it’s valid even now whenever the national Polish football team plays against the German one. The painting by Jan Matejko devoted to the battle is very well-known to pretty much everyone in Poland but looks like it never occurred to any Pole to get it tattooed on them. Two Lithuanians, however, decided to do just this thing to show their patriotism (as it was not only Poles who beat the Teutonic Knights but also their allies, the Lithuanian knights). On a funny note, the Battle of Grunwald is staged every year in July and this year it’s going to happen next weekend. The outcome of the battle is already known! 😛