Free Republic

A new study has discovered that tattoo inks could be linked to cancer or organ failure. An analysis of 54 inks commonly used in tattoo parlors across America has uncovered that a staggering 45 of them contained unlisted additives, including chemicals known to pose alarming health risks. Multiple inks contained 2-phenoxyethanol, which can cause toxic effects in high doses. Researchers involved in the study found the most common additive to be polyethylene glycol, which is a compound that can cause acute renal failure. The study was led by Jonn Swierk from the Department of Chemistry at Binghamton University, and was...

Tattoos have been around for millennia. People got them at least five thousand years ago. Today they’re common everywhere from Maori communities in New Zealand to office parks in Ohio. But in the ancient Middle East, the writers of the Hebrew Bible forbade tattooing. Per Leviticus 19:28, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves.” Historically, scholars have often understood this as a warning against pagan practices of mourning. But language scholar John Huehnergard and ancient-Israel expert Harold Liebowitz argue that tattooing was understood differently in ancient times. Huehnergard and Liebowitz...

Thinking about getting a guy’s name inked across your kisser? Tat’s a no-brainer — literally. Sure, being head-over-heels in love is a many splendored thing.But let’s face it, permanently stamping a partner’s name on your forehead is something most sweethearts would refuse to even consider — unless, of course, you’ve got a lover like “Kevin.” “Getting my [boyfriend’s] name tattooed on my face,” gushed ink-loving Londoner Ana Stanskovsky, 27, in the captions of an eye-popping TikTok post. “Let’s do it!” The footage, which has nearly 19 million views, appears to show the woman getting beau Kevin Freshwater’s moniker needled just...

I'm looking for a couple of pictures that have been on FR in the last week or so. One is a picture of the fat guy wearing a tan shirt standing next to the guy with the horns and fur. He had a hammer and sickle tat on his hand. The picture I want is the one that is in dark clothes, but it's labeled "phillyantifa". I've looked everywhere even in my history and can't find it. I should have downloaded it when I saw it, but you guy usually produce in 10 minutes so I'll give ya'll a try....

Fashion has always been obsessed with mythology. Whether it’s Medusa on the Versace logo, or Gucci’s Dionysus handbag, brands continually lift inspiration from mythological figures—be it Hermes or Nike. Even in 2023, the crossover between fashion and mythology is still going strong. Now, the focus is on mythology, which is seeing buzz in the tattoo world. Greek gods and goddesses have been among the most popular tattoo styles this summer, according to tattoo artist Kiljun Chung (who goes by the moniker @kiljun on Instagram). Whether it’s an entire leg covered in a Greek tragedy, or Medusa on your arm, these...

Taylor White was only 21 when her face was tattooed with obscenities against her will, leaving her with no other option than to cover up the unsightly markings with dark, black ink. Now, more than a decade later, the Florida resident is finally removing her blackout face tattoo with the help of a generous stranger, Karridy Askenasy, otherwise known as TheDadBot. White, who formerly worked in the body-modification industry and is attempting to transition into the mental health field, said her face tattoo became an obstacle for her to land a job, and she was hurt by the rejection. “I’ve...

A barber to the stars who tattooed his entire face to look like a clown is now studying to be a pastor - and has plans to one day open an amusement park that will combine his love of entertaining and faith. Richie Esposito, 37, better known to his fans as Richie the Barber, took his love for clowning around to a new level when he had his face transformed to resemble the comedic circus character. His nose is inked bright red, his cheeks blue, and his under eyes adorned with confetti dots. He also dyed his hair bright red...

A man who lost his right eye in an accident over 50 years ago has been given a new one by a tattooist in Sevilla. At the age of 25, Florencio lost his eye after being kicked by a horse in the stable where he worked. Finally, at the age of 80 he decided to have an eye tattooed on his eyelid, writes Nuis Diario, Wednesday, July 19. Florencio was only 25 years old and worked in a stable in a village in Sevilla when he was so badly hit in the face by a horse that he ended up...

Federal officials are looking into whether the gunman who killed eight people at a Dallas-area mall expressed an interest in white supremacist ideology Sunday as they work to discern a motive for the attack, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official cautioned the investigation is in its early stages. Federal agents have been reviewing social media accounts they believe were used by Mauricio Garcia, 33, and posts that expressed interest in white supremacist and neo-Nazi views, said the official, who could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity....

The Justice Department on Friday charged three Azerbaijani gangsters with plotting to murder a Brooklyn-based Iranian-American author and activist last year. The case stems from the July arrest of Khalid Mehdiyev, who was collared near Masih Alinejad’s home with an assault rifle after the beefy and bearded 24-year-old was filmed ringing Alinejad’s doorbell and lingering on her porch in a leafy part of the New York City borough. The other two men facing charges are 43-year-old Rafat “Rome” Amirov, a resident of Iran who was arrested on Jan. 26 in New York, and 38-year-old Polad “Haci Qaqa” Omarov, who was...

VIDEO AT LINK............. MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Kay’Ana Adams wears her tattoos with pride, as she used to wear her Mobile Fire-Rescue uniform with pride, until she was fired over a tattoo on the back of her head. Adams worked at the Mobile Fire Department Maryvale station on Dauphin Island Parkway for nine months until new ink on the back of her head changed it all. When she got the head tattoo in June 2022, she believed it followed the fire department’s policy, which then prohibited “tattoos on the face or neck.” “Hiring people before, during and after me with...

Scientists found evidence of tattoos while studying female mummies from the Egyptian town of Deir el-Medina...One of the mummies came from a looted tomb and had already been unwrapped. Examining the mummified skin, the researchers came across the first tattoo on the lower back, which appeared to show a bowl, a purification ritual, and the Egyptian god Bes. This god was known for protecting women and children, with a particular focus on childbirth.Because the second mummy was still wrapped, researchers analyzed it via infrared photography... The mummy turned out to be of a middle-aged woman and featured a different tattoo...

St Pete researchers find tattoos on ancient Siberian mummies St PETERSBURG, March 28 (Itar-Tass) - Infrared photography methods, used for the first time by researchers at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, have made it possible to discover tattoos in ancient mummies excavated in the Pazyryk mounds in the south Siberian Altai Mountains. The mounds date back to the 8th to 5th centuries BC. The discovery was made on three mummies – two that used to be female bodies and one male body -- that were produced by special treatment for burial ceremonies. One more male mummy was found in...

Otzi the legendary “Iceman” wasn't alone when he was mummified on a glacier 5,300 years ago. With him were gut microbes known to cause some serious tummy trouble. These bacteria, Helicobacter pylori, are providing fresh evidence about Otzi's diet and poor health in the days leading up to his murder. Intriguingly, they could also help scientists better understand who his people were and how they came to live in the region. ... Discovered in the 1990s, Otzi lived in what are today the Eastern Italian Alps, where he was naturally mummified by ice after his violent death. The body is...

The body of the ice-maiden (aka Ukok Princess, etc.) is finally returning to the Altai Republic in a region close to Russia's frontiers with Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. Her well-preserved remains were discovered in 1993 by Novosibirsk scientist Natalia Polosmak during an archeological expedition. After discovery, she was taken to a scientific institute in Novosibirsk. The local people in the Altai believe the princess's removal led to bad consequences, causing a crash of the helicopter carrying her remains away and a spate of 300 earth tremors in a six month period. Upon return, she'll be kept in a special mausoleum...

The ancient mummy of a mysterious young woman, known as the Ukok Princess, is finally returning home to the Altai Republic this month. She is to be kept in a special mausoleum at the Republican National Museum in capital Gorno-Altaisk, where eventually she will be displayed in a glass sarcophagus to tourists. For the past 19 years, since her discovery, she was kept mainly at a scientific institute in Novosibirsk, apart from a period in Moscow when her remains were treated by the same scientists who preserve the body of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin. To mark the move 'home', The...

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...

Archaeologists find 2,500-year-old mummy in Mongolia, tattoos and all Thu Aug 24, 2:18 PM ETAFP/DDP/GAI-HO Photo: This undated picture released by the German Archaeological Institute (GAI) shows a mummified body from... BERLIN (AFP) - An international group of archaeologists has unearthed a well-preserved, 2,500-year-old mummy frozen in the snowcapped mountains of Mongolia complete with blond hair, tattoos and a felt hat. The president of the German Archaeological Institute, Hermann Parzinger, hailed the "fabulous find" at a press conference to present the 28-member team's discovery in Berlin. The Scythian warrior was found in June at a height of 2,600 meters (8,500...

A portion of an ancient Egyptian mummy buried inside a Luxor tomb in 2014 was covered in tattoos — some symbols so well-preserved, that researchers were able to clearly label them. But identifying the person behind the markings proved more difficult. After years of research, Egyptian authorities believe they finally have a clearer picture of who this now 3,000-year-old person was. Remains of the mummy, which had more than 23 different tattoos displayed across various parts of the body, were uncovered by researchers with the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology during an excavation expedition in historical site Deir el-Medina on the...

Among the contested issues within churches today is what the Bible says and means as it pertains to tattoos, a topic that proves challenging given that they have become normalized in culture. The most explicit scriptural condemnation of tattoos appears in Leviticus 19:28 which reads: "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD." Some read that passage as God expressed a desire for His people to be set apart for Himself, as tattoos were tied to occult practices like sorcery and other pagan religious practices. The surrounding verses reveal that...