Jackson Rathbone is the actor playing the role of vampire Jasper Hale in the Twilight sequel New Moon. If you do not yet know who he is, I am certain you soon will. This young man’s path to stardom will be short. The multi-talented, and rather gorgeous, Rathbone also performs in the band “100 Monkeys” and finds that there is a distinct difference between rock fans and the Twilight series’ followers. “The 100 Monkeys fans are wild—one of my bandmates once got molested in a bathroom after a show,” Rathbone says. On the other hand, he states: “Twilight fans are so amazing—they’re always asking me to sign stuff, like their faces, or their cell phones. I’m like, I don’t want to deface your cell phone! And I especially don’t want to deface your face.” His fanbase has grown exponentially in recent months and he has recently stated his love for tattoos in Inked Magazine. “I only have one right now, but I definitely plan to get more,” he says coyly. His plans for future work is fairly clear. He wants to have a tattoo that represents his family. “I’d love to get the Rathbone family crest on my back—it would take up my whole back. Our motto is ‘Suaviter et Fortiter,’ which means ‘nicely, but firmly,’” Rathbone says. “My dad always taught me that you’ve got to give respect to get respect, and you’ve got to give love to get love. Makes sense, right?” At present, Jackson only has a single tattoo. It is on his right hip and reads: “I’m lost”. In his own words: “I only have one right now, but I definitely plan on getting more. My friends and I were kind of the bad kids in school, the troublemakers. We went to Interlochen Arts Academy, this really great boarding school in Michigan, and there were six of us who were always acting out against authority. The school administration was like, “Stay away from those boys-they’re ‘Lost Boys,’” so that’s what everyone called us. When I was 18, I got a tattoo that says, “I’m lost.” *sigh* what chance do us mere mortal women have? The combination of green eyes, bad boy rock band member, vamp make-up and a lost soul all in one tasty male package is just too much fodder for the imagination…

Temporary tattoos are a touchy subject for many tattoo diehards. They are seen to be a bubble gum cheap and cheating way out for those who don’t have the gumption to commit to a permanent tat. In many ways, this is accurate, however temporary tattoos do have their place in life. In order for a first timer to be certain they want that design in that colour on that spot, it is often recommended that a temporary work up is placed of the design in different positions or even sizes before the final decision is made. It makes sense that you want to test out a tattoo you’ve designed before you commit to it. It also allows you to understand what it means to wear a tattoo and see how people’s perception of you shifts. Other reasons people choose temporary tattoos are less ‘honourable’, if you like, and much more trivial or shallow. You may want a design that matches that particular dress or for that one school reunion with your old school bullies, or for your mother in law’s fourth marriage. People decide to have a temporary tattoo for all sorts of reasons and these do not even touch on Indian weddings and henna tattoos yet. For, yes, there are genuine cultural reasons for temporary tattoos as well. There are many ways to temporarily mark your skin. Special markers have been devised for this purpose alone but there are also airbrush artists who will airbrush a design on for you, skin artists who will paint one on for you, several different types of temporary tattoo papers which you can dampen, peel or otherwise transfer onto your skin. Henna is a special case unto itself. Apart from the dangers inherent in the different dyes used in henna – some are poisonous and can damage your skin irreparably – some people are actually allergic to henna. Henna is a plant and the dye is made from the powdered leaves. There are internet sites specifically catering for the temporary tattoo seeker. They let you upload your design, and they send you temporary tattoos that you can then practice placing wherever you think you may want the permanent one. You can also try it out in different sizes. Even Microsoft provides a set of instructions on using their programs to create your own temporary tattoos – but remember to buy some temporary tattoo paper first. If you are not sure if body art is your thing, give temporary tattoos a try.

How far? How about as far as Russia. Now, we all know that in everything there is a boundary that must not be crossed. Call it bad taste, call it social madness, even call it outright wrong. Russians have found just such a boundary and boldly gone where no true animal lover could possibly contemplate going. The new trend first arose in Russia. While it may have occurred elsewhere before, never in recent history has any society embraced such an aberrant use of tattoo art with such openness and lack of shame. What is this horrid new fashion? It is the tattooing of one’s pets.Cat owners have taken to getting their felines tattooed with elaborate, colorful designs for no other reason than because they can. It is reported that one woman had her Canadian Hairless put under general anesthesia for three hours while an image of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun was tattooed on its chest. Needless to say, this practice has animal right ativists in Russia spitting hairballs in fury. One spokeswoman of the movement has publicly condemned the cosmetic tattooing of animals, saying: “The ethical thinking about animals in Russia lacks behind that of the West. People in Russia mostly buy animals for selfish reasons and anything that happens to them afterwards is a consequence of that.” The reaction, however, is not restricted to the former USSR. The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the UK) has published its opinion on the matter also: “We are totally against using animals for purely cosmetic reasons just on the owner’s whim. Clearly the animal has no say in the matter. We do not believe in using pets as fashion accessories. It shows no respect for the animal whatsoever. So far we have only heard about this practice happening overseas – and we hope it doesn’t spread.” The tattoo artist who undertook the task is called Anatoly Keksel. The cat’s owner apparently “wanted something new and different for the times we live in” while Keksel proudly lifted up his shirt and announced that he had the identical tattoo himself.  It makes you wonder why he would want to share that information…