Well, 2006 is almost behind us and it's been an interesting year. I was actually surprised, when I looked back, at how much actually has happened this year. Here's some of more interesting points from the past 12 months.

• Army Tattoo Policies
  The Army changed its policy on tattoos no less than three times this year, trying to come up with a way to keep a professional image while not discriminating against or losing half of their potential recruits.
• Last Two States Legalize Tattoos

In February, South Carolina finally legalized tattooing, leaving Oklahoma as the only state remaining that outlawed the art. In May, the Governor of Oklahoma signed a bill lifting the ban and legalization officially went into effect in November.
• New Discoveries
  In April, scientists devised a "smart tattoo" made with ink that easily dissolves with minimal laser treatments, making unwanted tattoos easier to remove than ever before. In May, a tattooed female mummy was discovered in Peru, revealing that women held higher positions in that society than originally thought.
• Raising the Bar
  In February, a U.K. man broke the record for the most piercings with 1,015 rings in 9 hours. In April, a new Guiness World Record was recorded for the longest tattoo session - 42 hours and 10 minutes. And in June, OSHA set new standards for the tattoo and piercing industries.
• Strange News
  In January, a Missouri woman got an infection from a tattoo she received from a door-to-door tattoo salesman. In February, Jetstar made one of their passengers cover her tattoo. In March, the bomb squad was called out to inspect a suspicious suitcase - and upon blowing it up, discovered it was just full of tattoo equipment.
• Five New Feature Artists Added
  If you haven't already read their bios or viewed their galleries, now you can.
  Kandyman Joe
  Lisa Brady
  Tony LaFemina
  Joe Ferzola
  Doc
• Sad Goodbyes
  The year started off on a sad note with the death of my dear friend and one of my forum moderators, a tattoo artist from Kentucky, Gege Pruchniewski. In August, another great artist - Mark Hebert - from Canada, left a lot of sad people in the wake of his passing. And very recently, on December 27, "The Amazing Randy" Kienel passed away suddenly and still has a lot of people mourning the loss of a wonderful man. These and others who leave us in this life will never be forgotten.