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Two men were arrested on Monday in Kalmar in southern Sweden on suspicions of assault for using a pair of scissors to cut away another man’s tattoos. The incident is alleged to have taken place last weekend and involved two young men who for some reason decided to forcefully remove several tattoos from a third man, reports the Oskarshamns Tidningen The men used the scissors to cut away the tattoos, removing chunks of skin in the process. According to police, several tattoos were taken off completely, while others were partially removed. Police remain uncertain as to the relationship between the...

BOCA RATON — Mo Brenner is taking Jewish pride to a new and controversial level. The 27-year-old Boca Raton tattoo artist boasts a large Star of David on his upper right arm engraved with Abram, his Hebrew name. He'll gladly sketch Hebrew writing and Jewish stars on his clients at Boca Body Art, because what could possibly be a better way to celebrate religion than with a shrine that will last a lifetime? "A tattoo should really mean something to you," Brenner said. "Mine represents my religion and family." With the tattoo phenomenon continuing to explode - 40 percent of...

Perhaps it was because she had always wanted to do it. Or it could have been the fact that her college friends were road tripping from her university in Boston to Rhode Island to have it done. Whatever the reason, Jana Steele says that the flowers she got tattooed on her lower back when she was 18 years old are a lingering reminder of her freshman year. "It was something that I always talked about doing and wanted, but I probably would not have gone through with it without a big group of people," she says. Now a 26-year-old professional...

<p>Tattoos are the emblems of our age. They bristle from the biceps of men in summer shirts, from the lower backs of women as they ascend the stairs, from the shoulders of basketball players as they drive toward the basket and from every inch of certain celebrities. The tattoo is the battle flag of today in its war with tomorrow. It is carried by sure losers.</p>

When you look at someone's tattoo, all you really know about that person is that they have low self esteem and at least enough money to purchase a tattoo. That's pretty much it. Well, we told you to show us what tattoos would look like if they were honest, and you did. If more people got tattoos like these, it'd be quite a time saver.

Gunman's Contradictions Confound Police By ASHLEY M. HEHER and CARYN ROUSSEAU – DEKALB, Ill. (AP) — Steven Kazmierczak had the look of a boyish graduate student — except for the disturbing tattoos that covered his arms. Professors and students knew him as a bright, helpful scholar, but his past included a stint in a mental health center. Many saw him as happy and stable, but he had developed a recent interest in guns and was involved in a troubled — possibly abusive — on-again, off-again relationship. What people initially told police about the Northern Illinois University shooter didn't add up,...

he FBI is gearing up to create a massive computer database of people's physical characteristics, all part of an effort the bureau says to better identify criminals and terrorists. But it's an issue that raises major privacy concerns -- what one civil liberties expert says should concern all Americans. The bureau is expected to announce in coming days the awarding of a $1 billion, 10-year contract to help create the database that will compile an array of biometric information -- from palm prints to eye scans. Kimberly Del Greco, the FBI's Biometric Services section chief, said adding to the database...

It's against the law for landlords to discriminate based on the color of a person's skin. But can they reject you because of what's on your skin? Some San Antonio apartment complexes are refusing to rent to people with tattoos and body piercings. News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Jaie Avila investigates the case of one couple who says that policy is unfair.Gilbert Carrillo thinks tattoos are an artform. He's been to tattoo conventions and one of his tattoos was featured in a magazine. "Ever since I was 18, to now, 25, bit by bit, covering up here, covering up there."...

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - Paul's conversion to Christianity is recorded in the New Testament Book of Acts. Steve Mason is chronicling his conversion on his arms. The 25-year-old Fredericksburg resident grew up in a Christian household. But his faith didn't go very deep, he said. He spent his teen years partying, earning the nickname Dog. Mason celebrated the name by tattooing a snarling dog face on his right forearm when he was 15. At 19, Mason turned his life over to Christ. He took on a new lifestyle. And he wanted to show the transformation. On his left arm, he got...

I took my future stepdaughter to her high school orientation a few weeks back. When we got to our designated area and as we were waiting in line I noticed that the student volunteer who was handing out our group's schedules had her ass hanging out of her pants, clearly displaying her lower back tattoo. In any other situation I'd be thinking something else, but in this particular one I was none too keen on having my future kid see this. Once all the schedules were passed out the student got up to talk to the group, and as it...

Over the years, I have thought about getting a tattoo. Surprising considering my fear of needles! lol I see them everywhere on every classs of person, I see the artwork vary from onr body to another.What causes someone to decide to have a tattoo. Is it cultural? Is it a fad? I am seriously thinking about it now. Any stories, suggestions? Thank you!

MELVILLE, N.Y. Got a tattoo? It could interfere with getting a job. A new survey shows that employees are getting the message that plenty of bosses find visible tattoos or body piercings objectionable in the workplace. "Some would argue that they are a legitimate form of self expression and shouldn't be regulated by an employer," said Mark Oldman, co-founder of career site Vault.com, which conducted the survey. "But, like it or not, many employers feel that flagrant tattoos detract from one's professional appearance. While they may be less unsavory now, they still can carry a counterculture, Hells Angels flavor, especially...

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Kelly Brannigan was suffering from a case of tattoo remorse. Just a year ago, Ms. Brannigan, 24, who holds up Case No. 24 as one of the models on the NBC game show “Deal or No Deal,” had been full of hope when she and her fiancé had each other’s names tattooed across their inner wrists. But now, when she looks at the letters — P-A-T-R-I-C-K — she is reminded of the failed relationship. For help, she turned to Dr. Tattoff, a chain of tattoo removal stores where nurses use lasers in a series of treatments...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A top Army investigator has apologized to New Mexico National Guard soldiers who were ordered to strip to their gym shorts and were searched for gang tattoos while they were on duty in Kuwait. No tattoos were found on the 58 members of Task Force Cobra, made up of soldiers from Guard units around New Mexico. Task force members and the commander of the New Mexico National Guard, Brig. Gen. Kenny C. Montoya, have alleged the unit was targeted because of its large number of Hispanic soldiers. In a letter Thursday, Brig. Gen. Rodney L. Johnson apologized...

NEW YORK - Unimpressed by his on-air apology or corporate promises of a tighter leash, angry critics of nationally syndicated radio host Don Imus called Saturday for his dismissal over his racially charged comments about the mostly black Rutgers women's basketball team. "I accept his apology, just as I want his bosses to accept his resignation," said the Rev. Al Sharpton. He promised to picket Imus' New York radio home, WFAN-AM, unless the veteran of nearly 40 years of anything-goes broadcasting is gone within a week. Sharpton was not alone in his anger over Imus' description of the Rutgers' women...

A new generation of Marines finds body art is the best memorial to their comrades killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.April 2, 2007 FALLBROOK, CALIF. — The anniversary of Marine Cpl. Brian R. St. Germain's death in Iraq was approaching, and Gunnery Sgt. Jason Alderman was making sure his buddy would never be forgotten. He was getting a tattoo in his honor. The design was one that Alderman had chosen after looking at a Marine-themed website, http://www.grunt.com . The 11-inch tattoo being permanently inked on his left calf, near his shrapnel wound, included a Marine Ka-Bar knife, the Marine eagle, globe...

OCEANSIDE, Calif. - Five tattooed skulls stretch from Marine Cpl. Jeremy Slaton's right elbow to his wrist, spelling out the word "Death." He planned to add a tattoo spelling "Life" on his left arm, but that's on hold because of a Marine policy taking effect Sunday. The Marines are banning any new, extra-large tattoos below the elbow or the knee, saying such body art is harmful to the Corps' spit-and-polish image. Slaton and other grunts are not pleased. "I guess I'll get the other half later," grumbled the 24-year-old leatherneck from Eden Prairie, Minn. "It's kind of messed up." For...

DORAL, Fla. — Surrounded by a mob of news cameras, a group of smiling, well-dressed church members crowded into a South Beach storefront parlor on a recent muggy evening and got matching tattoos of their prophet's symbol: 666. Members of Growing in Grace, a controversial religious sect headquartered in Doral, said they were following the example of their leader, Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda, who has claimed to be Jesus and recently declared himself the Antichrist.

Tattoos - The Ancient and Mysterious History By Cate Lineberry Humans have marked their bodies with tattoos for thousands of years. These permanent designs—sometimes plain, sometimes elaborate, always personal—have served as amulets, status symbols, declarations of love, signs of religious beliefs, adornments and even forms of punishment. Joann Fletcher, research fellow in the department of archaeology at the University of York in Britain, describes the history of tattoos and their cultural significance to people around the world, from the famous " Iceman," a 5,200-year-old frozen mummy, to today’s Maori. What is the earliest evidence of tattoos? In terms of tattoos...

Canada's new government ends tattoo program for convicted criminals OTTAWA, ONTARIO - (Dec. 4, 2006) - Today, the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety announced that Canada's new government will not continue the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) one-year tattooing pilot program. Under the previous government, CSC began a pilot project in six of its 58 federal correctional institutions in August of 2005 to offer inmates tattoos. The cost of the one-year operation was approximately $600,000, plus prior start-up costs, which totalled approximately $350,000. "Our government will not spend taxpayers' money on providing tattoos for convicted criminals," said Minister...