It’s a new year, so let’s be positive for  a change! The author of this interesting piece on symbolism of ear piercing probably didn’t mean it to sound so pro-ear piercing but since we can interpret things in many ways …

New Zealand in the spotlight: tourists coming to this country very often get  traditional ta moko-inspired tattoos. Also from New Zealand an article about traditional lifestyle in Papua New Guinea.

Books: “Anonymity” was inspired by a homeless girl with a tattooed face. Wonder if it’s interesting? I downloaded a Kindle sample from Amazon and will check it out (or at least a few free pages of it!)

Some forms of body modification may indeed seem scary most people out there, so maybe that’s playing on this sentiment: “American Mary” horror is about the underworld of body modification.