A SOUTHAMPTON man has set out on a mission to raise £1,000 for a cancer charity by getting a tattoo in memory of his mother. After losing his mum Jenny to breast cancer in March, Chris Miller decided to get a tattoo across his back to remember her by. Chris is now setting his sights on raising £1,000 for Cancer Research by asking for sponsorship.

Tattoo artists Pauly Caruna, kick-started the sponsorship by donating the cost of the tattoo to the charity. The donation, around £400, was given by Pauly’s Tattoos in High Street, Southampton, after Pauly lost his father Noel to cancer this year.

(The tattoo ater the second session)

Chris, who is still undergoing sessions to complete the back piece, said “I really wanted to do something to remember mum by, and I thought why not raise some money for Cancer Research at the same time. The tattoo is a memorial to mum but hopefully the money raised will help other people who are suffering from cancer.”

Pauly, 32, said: “I was more than happy to donate the fee to Cancer Research. Anything we can do to raise awareness of cancer is a great thing.”

Both Chris and Pauly also ran the Cancer Research Beaulieu 10k race in October to raise money for the charity. You can visit the dedicated sponsorhship page at www.justgiving.com/memorialtattoo

Designing your own tattoo lettering can be difficult. With so many tattoo fonts to chose from, like calligraphy or graffiti, deciding what style to ink on your body isn’t easy. OffBeatInk.com has found a new site that helps you chose by allowing you to design your own tattoo - TattooLettering.net.

TattooLettering.net lets you input your text, choose a font, colour and size and displays what your letters will look like. You can then print off the image or download the font used. Pretty cool huh?

Check it out over at www.TattooLettering.net

A serial armed robbery suspect was caught by police due to a distinct tattoo on his neck..of the Boston Red Sox Emblem. James Olliverre was wanted in connection with a series of robbery offences commited in South Florida and Coral Gables. In total, over a dozen bank heists have seemingly been committed by the suspect!

(James Oliverre)

According to police, Olliverre fled from the latest robbery with several hundred dollars in hand. The offence was committed on December 18, 2007, at the Washington Mutual bank branch located at 1465 W 49 St., Hialeah.

(The Boston Red Sox Logo)

As a result of the arrest, Olliverre facea several counts of armed robbery and could be given a lengthy jail sentence as a result. He is awaiting a court appearance.

In relation to a previous post regarding an ex-employee of the Mayo Clinic photographing a tattoo situated on a patient’s penis (see this post), OffBeatInk.com has found out that the doctor is unlikely to undergo any criminal charges as a result of his actions.

(Mayo Clinic Phoenix) 

Dr. Adam Hansen could have been prosecuted for violating the patients’ rights under federal laws that safeguard a patients’ privacy. The U.S. Attorney’s Office enforces the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that protects patients’ privacy rights (HIPAA)

HIPAA Violations are misdemeanors, and no one in Arizona has been prosecuted under the four-year-old statutem according to Sandra Raynor, a spokeswoman for the Phonex’s Attorney’s Office.

Chic Older, executive director of the Arizona Medical Association, disagrees and has put pressure on the authorities to act and believes Hanse should be disciplined. “HIPAA is not the point, many ethical boundaries were crossed,” he stated.

According to Older, Hansen could be brought before the Arizona Medical Board for unprofessional conduct, which may result in the loss of his practicing license. Medical board spokesman, Roger Downey, said he does not know whether anyone filed a complaint against Hansen.

The licensing board has a range of disciplinary options, including sending a letter to a doctor “to change his practice.” License revocation, Downey said, is for very serious infractions.

On Friday, The Mayo Clinic announced that Hansen was no longer practicing at the clinic but would not say whether he resigned or was fired.

According to dermatology study by Northwestern University of Chicago professor Ann Laumann, tattooing is less prone to infection, with 13% chance of becoming infected, while piercing has a 23% risk involved in their procedures.

The figures came to light after the study investigate the increasing popularity of tattoo’s, with 1 in 3 young adults sporting some form or ink. As numbers rise and people experiment more, the law on health and hygiene has become stricter which should benefit all involved.

The study, highlighted the preferred location of tattoos, with women opting for their ankle (27 %) and men their arm (75 %). Interestingly, the study of 500 people found that the reason behind getting a tattoo was as follows; 58 % said they have been in prison, 37 % drank too much and 38 % admitted to doing drugs.

Lauren Mixon wanted to get her nose pierced with a tiny diamond. She checked the dress code at work and confirmed it discouraged “extreme jewellary”, however after discussing the issue with her supervisor, no-one explicitly said “no”. Mixon was simply advised “It wouldn’t be in my best interests.”

After deliberating and deciding it wasn’t a big deal, Mixon had a tiny diamond stud pierced into her nose on the night before Thanksgiving, which caused some discomfort but nothing compared to when she returned to the office. Mixon was fired due to a tiny piece of metal that has suddenly cost her a job.

(The nose piercing that led to the job loss)

Her old employer said he feels bad but cannot change the rules and advised her supervisor told her not to do it and that Mixon wasn’t fired - she quit. Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Olson said having the public served by someone with a nose piercing is not his idea of public service. “We are a professional organization,” Olson said. “If you choose to have that, work somewhere else.”

For two years, Mixon worked the counter at the Land O’Lakes office, helping people pay their property taxes, renew their vehicle tags or get their hunting licenses. Mixon hoped she could start with a clear plastic piercing that wouldn’t be too noticeable. But the tattoo shop told her she had to start with a small sterling silver stud for four to eight weeks, to prevent infection.

Come Monday, she told her manager - the same manager who discouraged her the month before. “She said ‘You were told not to do it,’ ” Mixon said, “and I said ‘No, I was told it wasn’t in my best interests.’ ”

She met with her manager and a human resources official and they advised the stud had to go. Frustrated, Mixon said she would find someone to take out the stud, then come back Wednesday with her two weeks notice. “With all of this going on and with the way I was treated,” she said, “I didn’t want to be here anymore.”

She left the office with her husband Steven but returned with a new determination: “I got to thinking this isn’t fair. I didn’t do anything wrong.” She offered to put in a clear, plastic stud right away, or disguise it with a band-aid, stating “I’m not quitting and I’m not taking it out.”

As a result, Mixon was handed a letter accepting her “verbal resignation.” She was excused from the office her last two weeks, and would be paid through Dec. 11. Mixon said Thursday she only wants one thing, her job back. But, Olson said it’s best for both of them if they go their separate ways.

Tattoos are rapidly becoming useful warning symbols to people suffering from illnesses such as diabetes. At present, sufferers are urged to wear “Medic Alert” bracelets which are emblazoned with the medical caduceus emblem and quickly notify emergency responders of a patient’s condition. Information engraved on the back of the bracelet allows crews to assess vital information without the patient’s response.

(Medic Alert Bracelet)

Samantha Graham, a diabetic from Vancouver, British Columbia, turned to bodyart as an alternative to the Medic Alert jewellary often used to inform medical personnel that they are dealing with a diabetic. “I thought it was the perfect idea because a tattoo … would be much harder to miss than a simple alert bracelet if I was ever in the situation of not being able to communicate,” Graham says.

(Fashionable diabetes tattoo)

However, not everyone believes tattoos are the healthiest way for diabetics to bring attention to their condition. Todd Soard, president of the Florida Association of Professional EMTs and Paramedics, says a tattoo will not be the first thing a paramedic looks for when transporting a patient.

“It is no doubt going to be missed,” he says. “Most EMS personnel are not trained to look for a tattoo because a tattoo is a tattoo!“. Todd insists the Medic Alert jewellary is far more visible to a paramedic and they are trained to look and read it…not a tattoo.

To all our faithful readers, fellow tattoo artists and enthusiasts, OffBeatInk.com would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

A surgical resident working at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix took a phone camera photo of a patient’s tattooed penis as he was prepping him for an operation. That doctor is no longer working for Mayo Clinic and the surgery is on the hunt for an employee who violated a patient’s privacy by releasing the patient and surgeon’s name - who were involved - to the media.

“His appointment at Mayo Clinic has ended,” announced Denis Cortese, Mayo Clinic president and chief executive officer, in an e-mail to staff Thursday. Cortese said the search for the second person involved with this incident- the one who reported the picture and the patient’s name to the Arizona Republic newspaper is ongoing.

“Both cases represent serious violations not only of our policies, but of the sacred trust Mayo Clinic holds with its patients to respect their privacy and their dignity,” Cortese said in his memo. “The insult to our reputation, our patients, and our staff is the greatest outrage.”

Soon after news of the incident broke, Sean Dubowik — the patient with the tattooed penis — told a reporter that he felt violated and planned to call an attorney. The tattoo reads “Hot Rod,” and Dubowik said he got it on a bet. “The longer I sit here the angrier I get,” he told the Arizona Republic reporter.

This guy really does have “eyes at the back of his head”! Is this to puzzle people of whether he is coming or going? Whatever this guy had on his mind before getting this tattoo but the result is really superb!

The details behind the tattoo or the man is unknown…it’s still extremely entertaining!