A rare gem in the newsfeed this week: an article on ear stretching and it’s on the BBC’s website at that!

Also from the UK and sprinkled with the British humor: ‘98% tattoos using Chinese characters are actually insults.’

This weekend it’s tattoo convention time inAuckland, New Zealand, so here’s an interesting article on the subject: ‘tattoo traditions leave a mark.’

Also from that hemisphere is an article discussing the dark side of the industry: ‘Queensland tattoo industry and link to bikies.’

The Washington Post posted an article discussing the modern Iraq and its youth who’s creating their own American image by means of music and tattoos.

The finances-stained side of the industry: Nike’s going to produce jackets inspired by a certain football player’s tattoos while Ami James will strike again with his NY Ink.