It’s time again for the weekly news round up.  This week we’re going to get started with a story that a lot of people sent in.  Before I get into it I want to remind people that the person involved in the story is friends with many ModBlog readers and as it stands is currently being charged with a crime, he has not been convicted.  The reason I bring this up is because of the nature of the reporting surrounding this story.  As some of you know by now, Caius has been charged with homicide and is currently awaiting a trial.  He is best known for his large array of heavy facial modifications, and as such the media is latching on to this.  What shouldn’t come as a surprise is how the media is handling the story.  Reactions have been mixed.  Agencies like ABC news touch briefly on his modifications (while using his photo to garner attention), while other outlets like The Sun are completely ignoring facts and just making assumptions based on photos.  Here’s what ABC News had to say:

A ranking Hells Angels member in western Massachusetts and two acquaintances charged in a triple murder killed one of the victims to prevent him from testifying in a kidnapping and assault trial and killed the other two men to eliminate witnesses, according to a police report released Monday.  The probable cause report by Massachusetts State Police describes how Adam Lee Hall, 34, the reputed sergeant at arms of the Berkshire County chapter of the Hells Angels, allegedly was involved in a dispute over an automobile part in 2009 that escalated into a series of criminal acts that ended with the killings of the three men. Their bodies were found buried in an undisclosed location in the county Saturday.  Hall and his two associates, David Chalue, 44, and Caius Veiovis, 31, entered not guilty pleas to murder, kidnapping and other charges and were ordered held without bail during their arraignments in District Court in Pittsfield on Monday. They’re set to return to court Oct. 12.

Witnesses told state police that before the three victims went missing, Hall was talking about how Glasser had to “disappear” before the trial, and that after the abductions Hall said something about “when the three men were taken,” the report says.  State police also said witnesses saw a man fitting Hall’s description tossing shoes, clothing and other items off a bridge in nearby Lenox just minutes after authorities entered Glasser’s apartment looking for the missing men. One of those witnesses later identified Hall from a photo array, police said.  Police also said tests on the inside of Veiovis’ vehicle came up positive for the presence of blood, although whose blood isn’t clear.

Lawyers for Chalue and Veiovis, who is also known as Roy Gutfinski, declined to comment on the allegations.  Many questions remain unanswered. District Attorney David Capeless declined to say where exactly the bodies were found, how the three men died and how Hall, Chalue and Veiovis knew each other. Authorities have said they don’t believe Chalue and Veiovis were members of the Hells Angels.

So as you can see, with the exception of the photo, Caius is only mentioned as being arrested based off evidence found in his car, and that he isn’t a member of the Hells Angels.  Now, we flip over to another “news” agency, The Sun,  and see what they had to say about the story.  Keep in mind they only information both news agencies have is based off the arrest record and mug shots.

With a sinister ’666′ emblazoned across his forehead and horn implants sticking out of his head, this murder suspect poses for one of the most frightening mugshots ever.  Caius Veiovis’ chilling face also includes spiked nose piercings and angry tattoos across his body.  The heavily-pierced Satanist changed his name from Roy Gutfinski to Caius Veiovis with Veiovis a god of the underworld and Caius a character in the Twilight saga.

Yep, he’s a twilight vampire.  There are other stories floating about claiming that he’s actually a member of the Hell’s Angels, as well as several other outlandish claims, and yet in all of those stories he’s being judged not based on any evidence, but simply because he has modified himself to appear the way he wants to.  It seems that for every step forward towards acceptance we take, someone is there to push us back.  Think back to a few months ago when Lady Gaga debuted a music video featuring Zombie Boy and dancers with fake facial implants.  Nobody had a problem with that, and she was applauded by the media for tackling issues of acceptance.  Fast forward to today when someone who looks different than others has already been found guilty by the media simply for looking different.

Thankfully this isn’t the only story this week, so I won’t dwell on it any further.  Keep on reading to check out the rest of the news, including a fantastic interview with Ottawa artist Glen Paradis.

While parts of the world are demonizing them, other parts are celebrating modifications.  The Ripley’s Believe It or Not wax museum has invited Maria Jose Cristerna, Mexico’s “Vampire Woman” to be their newest wax figure.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! took body casts of Maria Jose Cristerna, known as the Mexican Vampire Woman, on Friday. Cisterna has titanium implants that serve as horns. She also has fangs, piercings and tattoos. She said she made the transformation after a period of domestic violence. Ripley’s will create a wax figure of Cisterna.

While I wasn’t able to link photos, the article above has an interview with Maria where she talks about what modifications she has, what she plans on getting, and the meanings behind it all.

Tattoo artists in Phoenix, AZ are upset over a proposed new tax that is being billed as a “Sin Tax” which specifically targets tattoo studios and strip clubs.

The Phoenix Food Tax left a bad taste in many people’s mouths. It generated $28-million extra for the city, but the added tax was unwelcome with people struggling to stay afloat in the down economy.  That tax runs out in 2015, and leaders are already looking at other options. One of them could include a so-called “sin tax.”  Right now it’s just an idea being looked into by the Phoenix City Council. The idea is to raise extra revenue for the city if the food tax expires by taxing things like strip clubs and tattoo parlors.  As you can imagine, tattoo artists in Phoenix are hoping this sin tax doesn’t go through.

At 27 Tattoo Studio in downtown Phoenix, tattoo artist Mark Mayhem has built up a loyal clientele.  He worries what would happen at tattoo parlors around the city if the so-called “sin tax” is passed.  “As to be expected from an artist, I really feel like it’s going to hurt some of our business,” he says.  Mayhem says the idea of taxing something like a tattoo is going too far, and that it shouldn’t be lumped together with strip clubs and other vices that could be taxed.  “I’m an artist. That would be like taxing painters or authors. But, I hope it doesn’t go through.”

I’m kind of curious as to how a tax on strip clubs will work.  Does it apply to lap dances only or will giving a tip require the dancer to stop and calculate the tax added to it?

Today’s final story is one that’s a lot more positive than the one we started with today.  Glen Paradis, an Ottawa tattoo artist, recently did an interview with The Ottawa Citizen.  There was no sensationalism, no hype, just a great interview with one of the country’s finest artists.

These are three things that many people look for in a tattoo: good, fast and cheap. Glen Paradis says he can deliver any two, but at the exclusion of the third. You want good and fast? It won’t be cheap. You want fast and cheap? It won’t be any good. And if you want, say, a tattoo of a huge spider on your face, he suggests you go elsewhere.

The 41-year-old tattoo artist has spent the last decade at New Moon Tattoo — he’s currently at their Orléans location — where he’s become so good that clients can expect to wait up to seven months for him to stick needles loaded with indelible ink into their skin. He compares the loyalty of his customers to that of car owners who return repeatedly to a good auto mechanic.

For the first while he only tattooed grapefruits, practising drawing straight lines, circles, corners, squares and maple leafs on the soft, round fruit, learning to complete designs with just one or two passes of the needle thus keeping any possible damage to the skin to a minimum.  From there it was a matter of finding a friend who would let him try his first tattoo on skin. “My buddy Andre let me do three Chinese characters on him. I was a nervous wreck.”  For the next couple of months, Paradis tattooed nothing larger than a toonie, working on getting good before trying anything large. “If you jump into something too big, you make mistakes.”

And while doing a complete and original body tattoo — he’s done several full backs, legs and sleeves, but no full bodies — is near the top of his bucket list, he says he’s equally happy doing the profession’s bread-and-butter designs: the hearts, wings, Celtic crosses, roses, stars and tribal motifs.  “There’s nothing I hate doing. You want something that’s been done a million times before? I’m going to do it in a million-and-one different ways. You want a rose? Let’s make it fantastic. You want a ladybug? Let’s make it look real.  “I just love tattooing. I get to do this every day. I draw every day. I see fantastic people from all over the place and I get to come to work dressed like an 18-year-old kid, listen to music and have a blast.

“I’m going to do this until I die.”

So that’s it for this week’s news.  As always, if you find an article that you think should be included.  Just send me an e-mail.

Other than that, have a great weekend everyone!