text:
Inked Oinkers: Tattooed Pigs by Wim Delvoye (UPDATED PICS)
Tattoos have become less of a taboo and far more mainstream in the past decade. Two reality shows are focused on tattoo artists, many magazines are published specifically about the craft and tons of products have hit the market that either sport tattoos or are tattoo-inspired, be them dishes, furniture or clothes. To see many available products with tattoos, real or otherwise, click here.
Belgian artist Wim Delvoye launched an Art Farm Pigs Growth Fund whereby people can invest in his swine farm outside Beijing in China. This farm, established in 2005, has nine boars and sows which are tattooed with a variety of designs created by Delvoye and three other tattooists in residence. "The pigs art fund will be an official Chinese company which I hope to launch in the next few weeks", he says. "The new bonds and pig farm shares scheme make the mechanisms of the art market so transparent", he added.
above: The gates to Wim Delvoye's Art Farm and some of the inked oinkers.
"This initiative is in its early stages", said Mr Delvoye's assistant Gianni Degryse. "We may set up a similar bond scheme for the pig farm. People may even be able to purchase one of the animals".
A vegetarian who tattoos live pigs, in the name of art. Wim claims it's 'Because they grow fast and they are so much better to tattoo than fish.'
above: Louise, a stuffed pig (yes, sorry folks, she's no longer with us) sporting her Louis Vuitton Tatts.
Below are live pigs with Wim's artwork permanently inked on their backs. Project and photos taken at Artfarm China in Yang Zhen, Shun Yi District Beijing, China.
above: Wim at work
Jonathan West of Vice Magazine asked Wim a few questions:
Vice: Why did you start tattooing pigs?
Wim: I started tattooing pig hides, which I'd get from the slaughterhouses, in 1994. It was only in 1997 that I started to work on live sedated pigs. I tattoo pigs because they grow fast and they are so much better to tattoo than fish. I tattoo them when they are young and I like the way the artwork stretches and distorts over time. Essentially, we invest in small tattoos and we harvest large paintings.
Have you ever tattooed a person?
Yes, of course. I have tattooed art critics, art dealers and art collectors, and lots of butts. I come across my needlework everywhere I go. Some designs I try for the first time on people and, if they work, I will surely re-create the tattoo on a pig.
To the close observer your work is laden with contradictions. For example, aren't you a vegetarian?
Yes, I am a vegetarian. I am also very, very clean. I wash my hands like 100 times a day.
See a more recent post about his tattooed stuffed pigs and tattooed pigskins for sale here.
PART 2: Updated post on more Pig tattoos and pigskin art by Wim Delvoye
Wim Delvoye has done several interesting art projects. Tattooed Swine is just one of them.
Visit the artists site here.
To see more of his work, visit the Sperone Westwater Gallery by clicking here.
130 comments:
This is disgusting and cruel to the animals. Simply unacceptable.
- Sunday, March 02, 2008
I do hope you are a vegetarian, mate!
Otherwise it's full of hypochrites like you....
- Wednesday, March 05, 2008
- Kat said...
This work is beautiful and very tongue in cheek. I love it and think there is nothing wrong with it at all. I am an artist and animal rights activist and there is nothing cruel about Wim's method and practice.
- Tuesday, April 01, 2008
This is absolute cruelty... Kat how could you say it is not cruel?? Sedation alone stresses any animal to the max let alone to flippin tattoo the poor beast... You should be ashamed of yourself... sick bastards.
- Tuesday, May 06, 2008
This is absolutely cruel. What is wrong with people these days. Kat you
my dear are simply an effing idiot. And you call yourself an animal rights activist?
- Wednesday, May 07, 2008
oh my god....i love tattoos, but im a vegetarian and hate animal cruelty...and this just makes me feel sick. Absolutely disgusting is what this is.
- Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Lighten up folks! I am also a vegetarian and an animal rights activist and find this to absolutely hilarious! These pigs are getting the royal treatment. Drugs, tattoos, fame, aire libre and a life of leisure...sounds like rock and roll to me. Life could be a helluva lot worse, check it.
- Thursday, June 19, 2008
I am still trying to figure out exactly how I feel about this. I am an animal lover and a vegetarian and initially I admit I was taken back and rather disgusted by the idea.
Another poster stated: "These pigs are getting the royal treatment. Drugs, tattoos, fame, aire libre and a life of leisure.. Sounds like rock n roll to me"
I have to say that my opinion is leaning in that direction. These pigs look pretty content compared to those that I have seen crammed in cages or in line at the slaughter house. Even "Post" death they are being admired as art versus just having their bones swept up off the floor after an all you can eat night at Chile's.
- Friday, June 20, 2008
I am a vegetarian and love all animals. I wish this world was a better place for most of them... I have tattoos and they hurt, but I would choose them over a life in a factory farm, however, it is not clear if the tattooed pigs are getting the alternative...If the ink saves them from a hideous fate then I'm ok with it, but if it just adds insult to injury then I find it cruel, useless, and an unscrupulous way to get famous...
- Sunday, June 29, 2008
this artwork is original and interesting, I am a vegetarian (seeing as everybody is making a point of saying so) and I think it is far less cruel than the way most of the other animals kept by humans are treated. if you are going to disapprove of something and call it sick there are far worthier causes, these pigs lead full and, as far as we can tell, pleasant lives.
- Monday, July 07, 2008
- Heather said...
I think this is very interesting but think it's kinda sick on the pigs. It's sorta cruel.
- Thursday, July 10, 2008
- Trungpa Ricochet said...
Maybe Wim washes his hands"like, a hundred times a day" because he feels guilty. He's a rip-off of the American artist Andy Feehan, who tattooed pigs twenty years before.
- Monday, August 25, 2008
Ehh, I love bacon and tattoos, great combo.
- Monday, September 15, 2008
This is disgusting. Those animals have rights and they are denied when they are held down and tattooed. It may not seem like a big deal, but could you get away with the same on humans?! You'd be thrown in jail! If people didn't see fit to abuse and murder animals for food and other petty reasons, then stupid things like this wouldn't happen either. Go vegan and stand against this bull shit.
- Monday, September 15, 2008
At what point did he think this is NOT animal abuse. Maybe if he has another child, I'll take it from him and scar the child for life. Fair's fair eh. Totally disgusting. Total moron. Hope he ends up getting fed to the poor animals he's harmed.
- Tuesday, September 16, 2008
You should be shameful of yourself. Put art where it belong. This is cruel, exploiting animal isn't humane!!! Animal has life and feeling, they are not your toys!!! Try this on your own child and see how it feels.
- Tuesday, September 16, 2008
- momacat said...
ANIMAL CRUELTY ISN'T ART!!! You are disgusting. Please stop animal exploitation!!!
- Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Dude, you seriously suck. I assume you are a vegetarian for your own reasons, which are not likely to have anything to do with animal rights. I love tats, have a few myself, but make no mistake - - your 'artwork' is is absolutely animal cruelty, and I hope you're charged with it. It is not art, it is disgusting and wrong.
- Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Leave the pigs alone. They never asked you to mutilate their bodies. How would you like it if someone came poking you all over with needles, without your permission??
- Tuesday, September 16, 2008
i love tattoos, but not when it's done without permission! this is definitely ANIMAL CRUELTY! please consider other beings besides yourself when creating art - this is not artwork.
- Wednesday, September 17, 2008
I am vegan and I have pigs that I rescued. Obviously, he ends up 'harvesting' the pigs or shall we say--slaughtering them. Not art--just cruelty and exploitation.
- Wednesday, September 17, 2008
If you are taking the time to tattoo the pigs, why are they sitting within concrete walls? Perhaps tattooing them will keep them alive and not slaughtered but I am not sure what your point is here.
Is this only for your pleasure? Or is there something you can do to make the lives of these pigs better by doing this?
If it is only for you, that is inhumane. If you can use it to save these pigs lives and give them a place to live in good conditions, you are actually using your art to help lives. Which is it?
- Saturday, September 20, 2008
- Jeni Treehugger said...
I really don't know how to feel about this but I had a good look round the artists site (it's a hideous site to navigate btw)
Did anyone check out the photos?
When I first learnt of this I was outraged and I still am. Any form of animal abuse is abominable.
I think compared to the life these pigs would otherwise have this is the lesser of the two evils, but that doesn't make it right in my opinion.
Of course in an ideal world all animals would be free to roam in their natural habitats but that's another discussion for another day.....
- Saturday, November 22, 2008
I eat meat. I believe animal rights groups have a serious lack of perspective given all the challenges the poor and underprivileged humans face in this world. But this gratuitous, cruel and absolutely needless disfigurement of animals is revolting. It is a cynical gambit for attention and fame. We should all just ignore this guy and his "art".
- Sunday, November 23, 2008
Wow, I don't have a problem with the tattooing of the pigs. However, the use of their skins means we are now thinking of another living thing as even less than food. It's now just a canvas. That's a bit morbid for my taste. I hope the pigs are truly well cared for. But, I have to think you may someday look back on this and have trouble forgiving yourself.
Maybe if you just let the pigs live out a long life, and just use the photos and a petting zoo type of setup... But, selling skins? Morbid.
- Sunday, November 23, 2008
- The Cat said...
It is amusing/serious art looking at issues of capitalist attitudes of ownership etc among many other current ideas. What better way to get this message across than to tattoo a pig.
He is famous for a whole array of work in the art world. Famous in the e-animal rights world for his pigs.
I suppose being dogmatic is easy - it means you don't need to think.
- Monday, January 05, 2009
- suizou said...
Andy Feehan
Tattoed Pigs and Hairless Dogs
- Friday, February 20, 2009
It's hysterical how so many people have the courage to say that this is animal cruelty as an anonymous lurker on someone else's blog, but live on nothing but their principles and fail to act on them in their own community.
And to the person calling tattoos mutilation compared the butchering that happens to most is a retarded statement, just because you don't approve doesn't mean you have to label it with a derogatory term.
- Sunday, March 01, 2009
Consider the other types of "mutilation" that people inflict upon animals, which are socially acceptable; docking the tails of dogs, cutting the ears of dogs, nailing shoes onto horses, cutting the horns off of cows. I'm sure there are others that I can't think of at the moment, but some of these things probably hurt more than tattoos under sedation, and some are done for purely aesthetic reasons.
I'm not so sure how I feel about this, but at the very least, there aren't any obvious long term ill effects on the pig, and if you weigh its options, it is probably better off tattooed and happy than on somebody's plate.
I wonder how the tattoos effect the pig's psyche, if at all.
- Saturday, April 11, 2009
but they dont want it. who are you to do what you want in the name of art? they are living animals that feel pain. this is just really sad.
- Friday, April 17, 2009
animals aren't self aware,
these pigs have no idea they
were sedated or tattooed,
nor do they care. I have a lot
of tattoos, and a lot of pets so
believe me I sympathize, but
c'mon people, lighten the fuck up.
- Wednesday, May 06, 2009
- Katie Poterala said...
This is absolutely awesome. Kat & anon, as an artist & animal lover I agree with you both.
I especially love the humor... louis vitton as a tattoo, on a pig. Genius.
- Friday, June 12, 2009
I had many thoughts about this thing. But at the end of every possible reason, putting in everyone's shoes here commenting, there's always one way out: the thing is WRONG.
Pigs self-aware or not, this man is doing a violence on these creature.
Someone says better a tattoo than a slaughtering, this is a silly statement. I say better live them in peace.
- Saturday, June 13, 2009
I don't see the big deal. Tons of animals get tattood all the time for identification purposes which is socially acceptable. People dock the tails and ears of dogs and it's socially acceptable. People eat meat and it's socially acceptable. Who gives a fuck? Pigs are stupid creatures, they really aren't anything special and at least he sedates them. When it comes down to it they're just pigs.
I might as well also throw it out there that I'm a strict vegan as everyone seems to find one's dietary habbits a relevant factor in these types of discussions.
- Sunday, June 28, 2009
dinosaurs ruled the earth for 165 million years, and you guys are worried for tattoo on a pig?
- Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Light-n-up people.. I'm a vegitarian too who loves ham & eggs. OK, so I'm not a vegitarian but the best part about this (and maybe the point) was to piss off too soft urban-ites who get queezy over a little spilled blood.. um ink.
- Thursday, July 23, 2009
Let's say that the next artist that comes along likes the idea of using a drill on teeth for the interesting artistic effects it can have, and who knows what other insane "statement" it can make. Then sedates animals, and does so, then photographs them and posts them on the internet. When will someone step in to stop these sick people who do sick things to get attention?
- Friday, July 31, 2009
I am an artist and I love animals-
This made me sad- large tattoos like this are painful on humans so I can only imagine the slow torture of a needle being dug repetitively into the animals sensitive skin- even on drugs- the meds that are administered are to keep the pig from moving not so much to keep the animal calm- also disgusting- then he slaughters them for the grand finale- people always make these references to activists about caring more for animals then for humans-simply not true- You have missed the point completely- animals have NO VOICE which makes them the most vulnerable creatures on earth- they have to endure the most horrific of inHUMANe abuses and exploitation-if a pet is abused or murdered unwitnessed- that's the end of it- disposed of like garbage- with weak laws in place to protect them- Compassion for all beings is important and more so for those that are defenseless be it animals-children- the handicapped or the elderly- People who dismiss animal abuse are in fact promoting it-
- Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Who gives a shit.
Fucking liberals
- Sunday, August 23, 2009
- Jen said...
wait a minute here people. Everyone's all up in arms about this. lets take a realistic look at it ok? If you go to the site, yes, theres a concrete pen they stay in. It's called shelter, you know, that thing that keeps you dry and warm? Every other picture they're outside in nice looking areas. The pig gets sedated, for a few days he's a little itchy and he never knows the difference. Trust me, it's not hurting the pig's self esteem.
Second, whatever idiot said "Obviously he's slaughtering them" Yeah, hi, you can stop talking cause you make yourself look like an ass. Pigs die. I know, it's sad. But you know what, you're going to too! Look at that. People perform taxidermy on natural death animals all the time. there's nothing wrong with it.
Let's take a look at all the bunnies who have cleaning products squirted in their eyes, the dogs that are forced to kill each other, the chickens who have their beaks cut off so they don't kill each other when three are in a cage the size of a shoe box, and learn that you all seriously need to get your priorities in order. There's a lot of things that happen in this world that are much more worthy of your self righteous scorn.
- Friday, September 04, 2009
It's this simple...do to others what you would have them do to you.So...in the case of tattooing pigs or any animal,get their permission first.If that's not possible..then leave them a-FUCKING LONE! In other words...you have no right to exploit animals in this way,ya knob!
- Monday, September 07, 2009
Oh cmon guys, how many of you have said this is wrong and inhumane who eat sausages farmed from battery pigs who dont ever see the light of day?
These pigs didn't ask to be inked, but nor do they ask to be eaten and farmed in little steel cages..
How many of you know how the pigs live their lives after getting these tattoos? as far as i can see, theyre not living in cages, theyre getting attention, and theyre able to chill out with all the other super-cool inked oinkers. For all you know, theyre living happier lives than those slaughtered everday for your pork.
Don't get me wrong, this is using animals as objects for art and is exploiting as the next outrageous thing to get attention, and i DO NOT agree with it, but not because it's animal creulty, but because it's unnecessary.
But if your at all concerned with animal cruelty, you should focus your bloodlust to battery farming, bear bile extraction, seal clubbing and poaching.
- Tuesday, September 08, 2009
interesting that this questionable project took place in China, a country where animal rights do not exist. If this had been done in the Western world this cruel bastard that calls himself an 'artist' would be thrown in jail on animal cruelty charges. Just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be done, especially when it involves inflicting pain on creatures that have no ability to defend themselves.
- Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Things like this just make me sad, that people can treat another creature in this way. He may be a vegetarian (and a compulsive hand washer), but he's still "harvesting" the pigs to get the skins. At least when someone eats a pig they get nutrition from it... his art shouldn't require an animal sacrifice. Go and tattoo some stupid trendy teenagers and leave the pigs alone.
And, no I don't eat or use any animal products.
- Sunday, October 18, 2009
- email@example.com said...
Remind me how this is cruel, again?
I can't get tattoos with even local anaesthsia.
These pigs were saved from a fate in a factory farm, and in exchange they live a very long time in remarkably cushy conditions. When they do kick the bucket, they attain a small measure of immortality as art objects. I can't see how any of this can be considered evil or wrong.
Consider, whatever species mankind isn't eating, we're competing with; consider the decline of most of the large charismatic carnivores. Pigs, through the simple expedient of being tasty, are not going extinct before the buffalo at least.
- Friday, December 04, 2009
you vegans have some reeeaaal problems. And cool the eff off, these little bacon bits arent even meant to be eaten... And I doubt they really feel that bad with their thick skin while getting inked.
The biggest shame in this is that those piggies are dying without ending in my plate with scrambled eggs. Damn that's bad.
The tatoo work looks awesome btw. Love the needle, I'd totally get pined by Mr Delvoye
- Thursday, December 24, 2009
who are these losers equating pigs to human children? oh, i'm sorry does the word "pig" offend you? is swine-ese americans less offensive? i don't want to hurt any feelings. yeah i like animals, but to think they care if they have tattoos is just plain stupid. i would assume that pigs don't feel much pain while getting the tatoos, they have pretty thick skin. and i doubt that being drugged is not that hard on them. your hearts are in the right place and i think that's great! but it's your heads i'm worried about.
- Friday, February 05, 2010
- janejane said...
This is completely cruel and unacceptable! If he wants to create "art" he should find WILLING PARTICIPANTS. What is with this guy?
And for those who would like to point fingers and call others hypocrites, no I DON'T eat, wear, or buy anything with animals in it. Although I think most reasonable people, vegetarian or not, will see this for the animal cruelty it is.
- Sunday, February 28, 2010
- :-:-: Selva :-:-: said...
So sick people... The man is the real "beast". The pigs are not objects! Allow them to live calm!
Go vegan... be happy ♥
- Friday, April 02, 2010
- Angelahughes said...
To one of the many anonymous's here, you are right about the China thing. He went to China to do it because it is illegal in England. One would think that would have said something to his pseudo-vegetarian self. Perhaps he is one of those vegetarians that still eats fish, chicken and bacon. Obviously he has self esteem issues with trying to be accepted as an out there kind of fella. All or nothing!
- Saturday, April 24, 2010
- Nicole said...
As humans we have the option to choose if we want a tattoo or not or if we want drugs or not for recreational purposes! I'm not questioning the lifestyle of the pigs after the tattoo or the "humane" method used to tattoo the pigs, but instead simply saying that this is unnatural and in no way should be allowed to happen or admired as art. This is just animal abuse for human amusement.
I somewhat feel that hides obtained after death (hopefully from a pig that had a happy life) to practice on or use as a medium is ok because it is a good use of the skin instead of discarding it. I have lots of tattoos myself and appreciate the art but I appreciate the well being of all animals even more.
- Saturday, May 22, 2010
I'm pretty sure that, sedated or not, the pig's hide is too thick for a tattooing needle to bother it. It barely hurts a human (depending on location) and pig anatomy is so much sturdier than ours. I believe this is no problem at all, and the pigs do not appear to be suffering. Animal rights activists just need to lighten up and complain about real animal cruelty.
- Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Suidae (a.k.a. Swine) are "omnivorous", meaning they eat any sort of food, esp. both animal and vegtable food, taking in anything indiscriminantly, as with the intellect [an omnivorous reader], and are "artiodactylous" mammals, meaning they have even an numbered toes which includes hippoptamuses, and are known to be vicious. In fact, they WILL cannabilze each other if in a confinement AND bored. To all you vegans who like to believe you do not wear, touch or eat anything made of "animal" your full of crap! Bovinus is the single most recycled thing on this planet and there is absolutely no way to avoid even secondary consumption, look it up! Swine will birth, lay upon & sufficate their own piglets within seconds & nary a care.Farel pigs are so destructive of natural, endangered, threated, and rare flora & fauna it is literally open season on them 24/7/365 in many U.S. States. Their hyper-keratotic hide is so extremely thick, durable, and endurable, its to their own detriment because they cannot sweat, hence they wallow and in fact LOVE a good thorough itch with a fine-wire bristle brush. Can't wait to see
I look forward to the day footballs emblazon with NFL team logos. I say inkmystinkinoiker! baby!
- Wednesday, June 30, 2010
i see nothing clever in this. i see only cruelty for the sake of some marginal "art." there is nothing clever about corralling sentient beings, forcibly tattooing them, and selling their skins. wim delvoye doesn't deserve to wear the badge of "vegetarian"--not that it means much to begin with.
that's great if these pigs were saved from a factory farm. but it's too bad their exploitation didn't end there.
- Friday, July 09, 2010
OFTEN THINK BEING IN A WORLD IN WHICH A very evolved INTELLIGENCE IS A FACTOR THAT IN AND FOR GUIDE TO LIFE.
Are sad examples like these that make me think that there are still people so stupid and grotesque living in a ghetto of pure ignorance and cruelty
duarte, from portugal
- Monday, August 02, 2010
Cruel, exploitative, and distasteful.
Human vulgarity knows no bounds.
- Friday, August 13, 2010
Hes trying to say hes vegitarian? fucking bullshit! hes a hypocrite!, it is animal cruelty not art. the pigs didnt ask for tattoos did they!! its not like u go and tattoo humans without there permission , so why pigs? why any other animal. Knew it be something to do with china sick twisted bastards!
- Friday, August 20, 2010
I think this is Fucked regardless if it is in China Wherever the hell in the world they are expoliting animals ,,, people work hard everyday to stop animal testing and this is F**king inhumane ,,,,, these are animals ,,, innocent animals and people do horrible things to them and this just adds to what is being done to them ,,, sedating them and Sticking them with a needle and ink ,l,,,,, it's disgusting,,,, and selling pig skins with ink on them ,,,,,, WTF
- Saturday, August 21, 2010
What's the problem with SEDATING a pig and then tattooing them? he's not tattooing them awake! i see NO PROBLEMS!!! only stupid people complaining about how wrong it is. the pigs are CLEARLY NOT IN ANY PAIN!!! people get tattooed everyday and they are awake and it's not a problem. it's moving ART!! and it's flipping BEAUTIFUL! he saves the skin and takes care of the animals. he's not just throwing them away people! he is not tattooing people and then hanging them up on the wall and stuffing them!!! Your born, you live, you die, that's life!!! why not have something that defines you for life like a little art on you. animal or pig, all art is beautiful in it's own way. you guys are so upset because its 'causing the animal pain' ...excuse me but LIFE IS PAIN!!! get over it, smile and be happy that you have something memorable on you for your life.
- Sunday, September 05, 2010
May I use some of these for an article I am writing? I love your site...gives me great ideas...I will link you and your post to the pics. Asher Kade
- Wednesday, September 22, 2010
t'es pouri sale type
- Saturday, October 30, 2010
What's the point of doing this?? Just can't understand.....do not tell me it's life..it's abnormal and unacceptable, hey Wim man, if you were a pig, someone did it to you, would you be happy?
- Tuesday, November 16, 2010
ok, the pigs didnt give writen consent about getting a tattoo...but they dodnt seem to have any long term or short even short term discomfort about these tattoos, ok tattoos can be painfull - i have a couple, but after the actual 'doing' of the tattoo i dont even know that i have them with out being sedated, and seeıng as most pigs are happy walking about with mud in thier hair and dirt on their noses i dont think they are that concerned about hearts and flowers on their backs....
the pigs seem to be looked after more then most pigs are, and more then some pets and some children are looked after here ın the uk!! so although i dont realy see the point in doing this.....ıs it realy cruelty?? in the whole scale of things.....the gorrillas, the pandas, the whales??
- Thursday, January 13, 2011
- Saturday, January 15, 2011
Wow there's a lot of people who comment either without reading or without thinking. A tattooed pig skin isn't exactly my idea of a fashionable home decoration item, but I see nothing innately wrong in sedating an animal. Vets sedate animals all the time, and while it is a bit stressful to an animal, so is everything else that it's not used to.
By the way, a pig's skin is thicker and less sensitive than ours. If you ever see the claws that a boar uses to hold on to his sow during copulation, you'll know what I mean.
- Thursday, January 20, 2011
how ridiculous!!!!!
this is animal cruelty... NO DOUBT ABOUT IT...
even if the pigs have been tattooed during the tattoo process, there is still the pain afterward!!!
in the name of art? give me a break! just a blatant attempt to get people's attention which has been successful... WELL DONE IDIOT!!!
- Thursday, January 20, 2011
Sadly, you have attracted a bunch of vegetarian morons... I love this, it is great, and if it were legal I would ask to be sedated for my next tattoo! :) then I would wish to live in the limelight because of it. Great art here... :)
- Tuesday, January 25, 2011
I am not a vegetarian - you people make me sick :o)
There I said it......
- Thursday, January 27, 2011
I'm a liberal, and I have tattoos. While I advocate humane treatment of livestock (I protest feedlots) we have to live in the real world.
First off look like they're living a nice life. What kind of life do you think they would have in a "natural" setting? Very few would even survive to adulthood, falling prey to predators. You think being eaten, often before the prey is even dead, is more humane? These animals have been bred as domestic livestock; they have no place in nature anyway. Would you have them released into the wild to displace native species? If not then what? Who would pay for their feed and care? Should they just be abandoned to starve to death? They would never have been born if they didn't have economic value. You can debate forever whether or not they should have been bred in the first place but they are here now so what is your answer?
As mentioned I have tattoos, which I had done with out anesthetic. It's no worse than a scrape. As pigs have thicker skin and fewer nerve endings than humans (also it doesn't look like the tats are being preformed in particularly sensitive areas like the legs or where the skin is thinner) I don't think they suffered and probably enjoyed having the area rubbed with lotions to keep it from drying out afterwards (plus.. remember, they were anesthetized during the tattoo).
As for their hides… why is that so gross? Once they're dead they aren't using them. If I could afford it I would love to have a coat from one of these pigs.
- Wednesday, February 02, 2011
- scruffy said...
Designer bacon!!! I love it! The current bacon I am eating tastes like a sad, boring pig who had to wait all its life in pain and in other pigs shit and diseases just for my consumption.
All the "vegetarians" here are most likely hiding behind their computer screens eating a nice piece of fish or chicken...? But, that's ok because those animals don't count and its not senseless killing of a "cute(ish) animal". We all need our protein and eating certain animals is a good way to get it.
Quit acting like you are above it all. When you are dead, nobody is going to care how many animals you have or haven't eaten or what products you used to save the earth.
There is a thing called being responsible with you resources however. We have no idea how long this big dirt clump is going to last and there are plenty of people entering it every second.
To waste your time and call this guy a "sicko" is lame. It's a hand full of pigs that get a way better life than the ones in the slaughter houses (look up a video of it on You Tube, I dare ya!). At least all of the pig is being used in a creative manner.
Less preach, more art!
- Sunday, February 13, 2011
Animals have to suffer, because we eat them - and now they even have to suffer to amuse us??!!
If a human wants a tattoo its his own decesion, but nobody ever asked these pigs!! And to call this "ARTS" is just unrespectfull!
Think about it..
- Sunday, March 13, 2011
- Lee said...
This is so wrong on a number of levels.
I feel sorry for these creatures, and to a lesser extent, for the blind people that abuse them.
- Monday, March 14, 2011
As a Member of PETA, (People Eating Tasty Animals), I have no problem with this as they are lower lifeforms and if they can contribute to my enjoyment then I'm cool with that.
- Saturday, March 19, 2011
Considering how painful tattoos are for humans, and the fact that the "artist" prefers to tattoo piglets, this form of "art" is an absolute disgrace. It's just attention-seeking idiocy. Sedation and 3 people to hold the animal still?
Call it whatever you want, but it's not "art." It's a guised form of animal cruelty in the name of "art."
- Friday, April 15, 2011
This is animal cruelty, and you are the worst kind of hypocrite. You should be ashamed of yourself. SICK!
- Wednesday, May 04, 2011
this is cruelty to animals and abusing them for profit by naming it art.
that's all.
- Saturday, May 07, 2011
This is amazing work........
End of the day they are pigs
- Monday, May 23, 2011
Tattoo healing is painful and can get infected quite easily, what do these pigs have to endure after the "sedated" (?) tattoo procedure? "happy as a pig in sh*t," there will be no rolling in sh*t for the those who must heal a tattoo. That is cruel enough for a pig. aside from this, this procedure is overzealous. Wim needs a few counter-balanceing hobbies, try painting or drawing. Point three: a tattooed pig skin is lame! As art it is gimmicky, un-origional, boring and most of all just plain ugly. Duplicating Disney pictures and the Louis Vuitton sign on a pigs back makes me think crappy products that come out of China.
If you are interested in art go see someone who can really create something not someone who has an addiction to tattooing pigs, (not to mention selling his pigs backs to people who want to learn to tattoo) then selling it for profit. What a scam.
Anyone who buys this is, apart from being a total loser, also creatively retarded.
Do the world a favor and go to your local art school and purchase a piece from there!
- Friday, May 27, 2011
- maggielolz said...
oh my gosh this is absolutely wrong people like you make me sick. This is a disgusting sick level of creativity this shit isn't art it's cruelty fucks wrong with you? How the hell would you like to be tattooed on against your will and be skinned?
- Tuesday, June 07, 2011
He is on the right track however how about a little reality in the tattoos... Maybe tattoo a bar-b-que to their ass? A bunch of slabs of fried bacon down their sides? Or how about an APPLE tattooed around their mouth?
Now THAT would piss alot of people off!
- Tuesday, June 14, 2011
THIS REMINDS ME OF THE NAZIS TATTOOING AND SKINNING HUMANS! This does Not benefit the animal in any way, it is painful and in the end the animal is slaughtered! YOU ARE SICK.May God have Mercy on you - you sorry son's of bitches!
- Saturday, July 30, 2011
- majikthyse said...
To all those who feel this jape is so hilarious.
Were the pigs consulted before being given this 'royal' treatment? This is exploitation for the purpose of furthering one's own name. If these tattoos were on a human body how much notice would anyone take? Not a lot. So we do it to a animal who has no say in the matter, stand back and say, 'Look, aren't I cute' [or a cunt, forgotten which spelling is correct].
- Sunday, July 31, 2011
Im a tattoist and even I find this a bit disturbing, sure this is done under sedation and the guys intentions seem for the animals but its totally wrong in so many ways! you want to create art, buy a paintbrush and some canvas,dont sin against nature by tatooing them, just eat the fuckers!
- Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Quote from an earlier post:
I eat meat. I believe animal rights groups have a serious lack of perspective given all the challenges the poor and underprivileged humans face in this world. But this gratuitous, cruel and absolutely needless disfigurement of animals is revolting. It is a cynical gambit for attention and fame. We should all just ignore this guy and his "art". "
There's no lack of perspective. Don't you see the two are intertwined? Animal suffering and human suffering - regardless of species. There are literally thousands of charities, global organizations and government programs set up which pump billions into lessening human crisis - poverty, famine etc. Can we say animal welfare causes have as much attention and support? Nowhere near it. So, if these animal activists who supposedly "lack perspective" don't make an effort to alleviate animal suffering and cruelty - who will?
As for the pictures - sickening.
- Friday, August 19, 2011
what a bunch of cry babies... animal rights? fuck you.
- Tuesday, September 20, 2011
So sick of Assholes like this and animal cruelty.
- Friday, September 23, 2011
- titch said...
oh get over it people,iv been tattooed under sedation and i felt nothing and im pretty sure the pigs didnt either skin pig skin is very similar to human skin
on that note im off to have bacon and eggs :)
mmm bacon
- Friday, September 30, 2011
It's no different than tattoing yoru cat or dogs ear. Or the inside of a horses lip.
The animal is put under anesthesia so its harmless, and obviously he looks after his animals.
Yeesh. You "Animal rights activists" should shut your yaps. In a matter of time telling your dog "No" is going to be animal abuse. Jeeze.
The owner has every right to slaughter the animals too. Its probably for consumption(Not by the artist, but I'm sure someone out there is paying for pig meat). Some hungry folks are getting fed, and the pigs memory and appearance live on as art.
Wah wah wah.
- Friday, September 30, 2011
i would love to tattoo one of those pigs lol!
- Friday, October 07, 2011
Another 'artist' who thinks they can do what they like. These are living animals and should be treated with respect and left to live as they were meant to. I don't give a #$%% that you're a vegetarian (actually it makes it more disturbing). I am a contemporary jeweller and have made a conscious decision to not promote the exploitation of animals by using any animal products. I suggest you get some principles and stop using pigs as canvas. And using anesthetic does not make it OK.
- Sunday, October 16, 2011
To those saying the pigs have a rock and roll lifestyle. Do they want it? Are you really so thick to think their wants are the same as yours? They're animals, leave them alone you sad, try hard to be different artists. Tattoo your children, I'm sure they won't mind being repeatedly sedated. No it's good for you really. Titch you had a choice to be tatooed, these poor pigs don't!
- Monday, October 17, 2011
such as Albert Einstein said, two things have no boundaries:space and human stupiditi...
- Wednesday, October 26, 2011
- Mari72 said...
The fact that the pigs need to be sedated in order to be tattooed screams volumes about how wrong this is. It's cruel and does nothing to benefit the pig, and serves no purpose. To compare it to animals that are used for the purpose of food is a cop out to give permissio for something that is wrong. If the whole world was vegan, what would your argument be then?
- Friday, November 04, 2011
After working as a vet tech I learned about these common practices considered humane and are legal in the U.S.
Ear docking (cutting of cartilage, * AESTHETICS*)
Tail docking (cutting of ligaments and cartilage, * AESTHETICS*)
Declawing (cutting of the tips of fingers, ligaments and cartilage, * AESTHETICS*)
Removing of vocal cords (ripped out while semi-conscious due to high-risk surgery and effectiveness, * AESTHETICS*)
Mass euthanization i.e. gas chambers (hallucinations, seizures, bang heads on floors/walls, fights, *CHEAPER*)
Teeth cleaning (the most painful and routine procedure, *HEALTH*)
Before you lash out at tattooing animals, a mere epidermal abrasion done under anesthesia, compare it to the list above, where the majority of owners in the U.S. have done 4 of these procedures. Many animals that came in had skin conditions worse than what a tattoo would be from neglect; rotting and infected toe nails, ear infections, tooth rot and decay, ALL purely from neglect. Tattooing animals would be trivial to any of these procedures. Also do not try to inject your Pathos morality in this argument, as animals are not self-aware.
- Tuesday, November 15, 2011
- Bluejasmina said...
I'm a vet tech of 20 years and I get some of what the above person is saying, but just because those things they mentioned are done that doesn't mean they are okay. I don't agree with causing pain to an animal just to make it look a certain way, however, dentals are necessary so I don't know why they wrote that. Anyway, a majority of my work for the past 5 years has been with pigs and I'm very familiar with them. Pigs are actually intelligent, much like dogs, so, yes they are very aware of pain, and pigs actually have extremely sensitive skin, even more sensitive than some peoples skin. Even if they are sedated while it's being done I know they would feel pain when they wake up. I have several tattoos, as do many of my friends, and tattoos are painful while they are healing. That being said, I have no doubt these animals do feel pain, and for that reason I do feel this is cruel. No creature should endure pain just for the sake of "art".
- Thursday, December 08, 2011
People brand horses, tag cows, and cut their dogs ears yet are whining that someone tattooed a pig under anesthesia... Humans are just hypocritical. Yes it may be wrong but if I were you guys I'd use my time whining to factories who kill chickens and actually abuse the animals then complaining about this. Go help the animals that need it...
- Tuesday, December 27, 2011
@ Anon dec 27th
I am one of the people who stands up for every animal. I have been vegetarian for 11 years and my 2nd year of being vegan is coming up. Therefore I feel that I am not a hypocrite when I say that this is also cruelty to animals. Pigs skin is much more sensitive than human skin for one, tattoo healing causes a lot of pain. And did the pig say he wanted this? No. Until pigs are able to talk, this is just not done. And so isn't slaughtering animals. Never met a cow that would slaughter a human and it eat it.
But you are right on one thing, most people are hypocrites. I refuse to be part of that, tho.
- Tuesday, December 27, 2011
this is disgusting.
- Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Really? This is pathetic. Run out of skin on your own bodies? Deal with it, no one wants to see girls with big boobs tatooed on your gorramn PIG.
- Wednesday, December 28, 2011
This is not art. How DARE you call it art. You disgust me and make me sick to my stomach.
- Thursday, February 23, 2012
Has anyone mentioned here that once tattooed the pigs don't go and live with the purchaser....they are killed, skinned or stuffed to simply hang on someone's wall.
Why put the pig through the trauma of sedation and a full body tattoo when you could just buy the skin from a slaughterhouse AFTER the animal is dead where (although treated inhumanly) at least they are serving a purpose in providing food...
Or is the whole point that Art is as vital Food?
Unless it comes down to Food, Water or Shelter, why kill an animal in such a sick sadistic fashion?
- Monday, February 27, 2012
This is WRONG! I am praying for sick people like you who feel it is ok to do this! I pray for you and those poor animals.
- Sunday, March 11, 2012
You are a horrible person. These animals will have no idea what is going on and this is basically torture. Animal cruelty needs to stop, this is not 'art'.
- Sunday, July 22, 2012
Who cares live stock was put here to sustain life . For thousands of years our ancestors have eaten meat to survive. What would happen if we all quit eating meat . The world would be over populated with cattle, hogs, chickens and everything else . It would be like telling a lion o quit eating meat or a bear to stop catching fish . Its our human nature to eat meat.
- Thursday, August 23, 2012
You people do know this was done 4 yrs ago and y'all are still yapping like its gonna stop this man from doing it . Oh yea, to the vegans, you do know the vegetables that you eat are fertilized by these animals manure . Synthetic nitrogen fertilizer destroys more ozone than half of all cars on the road today. So being vegan isn't saving the earth like y'all think.
- Thursday, August 23, 2012
I here vegans eat jello . Jello is pork.
- Thursday, August 23, 2012
Yes, but remember, that's a life of "leisure" for a human, which these animals are not. Besides, how would you like to be knocked out and then wake up sore and covered in tattoos you didn't want? You can't tattoo a child, because they cannot legally consent to it.... So why can you tattoo an animal?
- Sunday, September 09, 2012
First off, you're a damn hypocrite talking about other people being anonymous, note that you are, in fact, anonymous.
Second, yes, it is mutilation. It is the same when a person is tattoos. Now, I have tattoos, but I am also realistic. Purposely changing the appearance of your body is mutilation. Scarification is still considered mutilation, but really it's only referred to as that because it is still taboo in most modern cultures.
Third, it is illegal to tattoo a person against their will. Period. You are violating them by permanently disfiguring their body (and if they don't want a tattoo, trust me they will see it that way). Now, if it is wrong to do this to a person, why isn't it wrong to do it to an animal?
By the way, my name is Laura Colliton. My email is email@example.com if you ever decide you have the balls to admit you're a hypocrite, please let me know.
P.S. I have something to say about your lesser of two evils type statement. Even if you choose the lesser of two evils, you are still choosing evil.
- Sunday, September 09, 2012
It must really burn all of you animal lovers that this is taking place in China, so you 1) can't go wreck his operation yourselves and 2) have no real way to affect change because the Chinese government doesn't care about some artist tatooing pigs. You all must simply be beside yourselves with uncontrollable rage. Try not to induce aneurism, OK?
- Saturday, October 20, 2012
I really love art, but this thing its sick!... come on people this is cruel.
- Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Stop abusing animals!
- Tuesday, February 26, 2013
This guy is just sick in the head, he shouldnt get any attention his sick cruel acts. Im surprised hes allowed to get away with this.
- Wednesday, February 27, 2013
SICK SICK SICK, This is outrageous, these pigs are so much better than you'll ever be you complete cruel imbeciles.
- Friday, March 01, 2013
You're a nob.
- Friday, March 01, 2013
this is quality! and why's everyone saying its cruel? better then being bacon isn't it? and i bet they don't feel a thing.
- Saturday, May 18, 2013
If you think this is animal cruelty you're a fucking uneducated tool.
Tell me more about how the pig gets "stressed" when sedated. By the way, pigs don't give a FUCK about you, if you laid in their shit pens for a day and didn't fight back they'd eat the shit out of you you stupid fucks. I bet none of you have even handled or know what it's like being around pigs. Go back to your concrete jungle you stupid disney brainwashed fucktards
- Saturday, May 18, 2013
Man I saw this like 2 years ago and got relinked it, after having a giggle at some of the comment i decided fuck it i'll comment too and give my two cent.
Firstly to everyone who says this is cruel and violates the animals rights, it doesnt really also this pigs live better lives then most, also as to the trauma of the pigs suffer as they are sedated, im no expert but surely sedation is the oppostie to trauma. Also animals have rights, yeah the rights we as humans chose to give them.
Also this is done in china, people get fucked over by the laws there such as theft and copyright violations which causes people such as westerners who say develop a piece of software to be screwed by some guy half way across the world who literally copied his work as sells it cheap and is government funded to do so, and you want me to be pissed what some pig is getting some sick tats for free?
If i was offered one of these skins to buy I would and would admire the work as i eat my delicious bacon sandwich.
- Saturday, May 18, 2013
Hello there everybody. I have a farm in Ontario, Canada and I raise chickens, ducks, cows and pigs. I am not a vegetarian but I strongly believe in animal rights. I started raising animals because I wanted meat from animals that I knew had good lives free from unnecessary suffering. I slaughter my animals personally to ensure that the act is done humanely and to avoid the stress involved in transporting an animal to an abattoir, which is something not to be underestimated. Many posters have said that people crop ears, tails, claws and perform other stressful and painful procedures on animals for aesthetics purposes and legally speaking this is considered humane. On no level are these procedures actually humane when considered from the perspective of causing unnecessary stress on the animal, be that stress from pain, fear, confusion or sedation. The quality of life provided to the animals by their owners, no matter how high, is irrelevant. Giving an animal a good life overall does not mean it's ok or humane to cause it unnecessary stress when you feel like it. When tattooing a pig the animal must be sedated because it would not allow itself to be tattooed if it wasn't. So the tattooing can be said to be done against the will of the animal, and can therefore be regarded as inhumane. The consensus in the animal husbandry community regarding sedation is that it stressful, unhealthy, and potentially deadly for the animal, therefore when done unnecessarily it is INHUMANE. Also, whether or not pigs have less nerve endings in their skin than a human does not mean that it doesn't hurt, and after the sedation wears off the animal will experience some level of pain and potentially infection, and because this pain is unnecessary in the life of the pig it is inhumane. I understand that raising animals for slaughter can also be regarded as inhumane, after all, it is premeditated murder, but at least it puts food in hungry stomachs rather than simply art on the wall. That not to say that visual art does not play a valuable role in the world, these tattooed pigs have sparked powerful discussions involving dozens of people from around the world on important topics like animal welfare and what can be considered humane. In that regard I would say this is a successful attempt by an artist to stimulate the public, I just don't think that it can be considered humane and claiming that this is a humane way to treat any animal is plain wrong.
- Sunday, June 23, 2013
for the Anonymous blogger that wants to know more about how sedation stresses a pig: you can't explain to a pig that you are going to give it a needle that is going to make it numb, confused, sleepy and lose control of its body. A human who can understand the situation and potentially derive pleasure from the experience can do so because we comprehend that the effects of sedation are to be expected and don't mean that we are dying. Pigs are a prey species and have the instincts of such an animal and sedation combined with being physically restrained by humans makes them assume that they are about to be killed and it isn't perceived as pleasurable.(Anybody that has spent any time around pigs will know that they freak out if you try to restrain them) Because they are having such a bad time of things during the sedation process, and due to the potential to have a negative physiological response to the sedative (just like some humans), it result in anything ranging from suffocation to heart failure. Just watch the a wildlife or zoo documentary for five minutes and you can see first hand how an unsuspecting animal reacts to sedation and how concerned to animal handlers are for the health and safety of the animal because of how much the sedation messes with them. And by the way, I'm from the 'concrete jungle' and moved the the country and pasture raise Durock Yorkshire hybrid swine, yes the would eat me if I let it happen but that's because its in their nature to try to eat anything they can get in their mouths, that doesn't make pigs evil or deserving of abuse. Because my pigs aren't able to think so abstractly as to 'give a fuck' about me, does that mean that I shouldn't give a fuck about them or what happens to them while they are in my care?
-Jared, the fucktard Torontonian Disney brainwashed farmer.
- Tuesday, June 25, 2013
These pigs came from the slaughter house and I think we can all agree that they are better off now than they would have if it weren't for these fine artists. Pigs at meat factories are neglected, abused, and later killed. You cannot say that that was the better alternative.
to learn more about pig abuse, see the link below:
- Wednesday, July 03, 2013
- Kelly Goodman said...
I am not a animal activist nor a bible thumper and I believe that cloven hooved animals are here for or use to survive. They are not here to make into or own personal pin pad for inking. Animals are important to our future survival. It's no wonder why people that aren't raised around animals or many people that don't choose to eat animals become activists. Sure while these totoos may look neat this is not what a pig is used for. Animals such as cows and Pigs and so on... should be treated with respect cared for with proper water, shelter, and feed. They are the worlds main staples in food and are very needed by all of the world for many other reasons. Have a little respect for these animals while they are being raised for what we needed them for. What has happen to morals and values of people today. If you want to tatoo something get a paying coustomer or tatto a friend even yourself. While tatoo's are used for identification in animals it is ushally used in a discreet mannor with very little abrasion. We are the animals keepers. We are who teaches our kids and others respect and the proper ways to care for them.
- Friday, July 26, 2013
The truly sad part is that the alternative to living without the sunlight only to be eaten is to get tatooed against your will. Why do we always have to do things against the piggies will? Why are there only two options: to be peoples food or to be peoples entertainment? I wonder what makes humans think they have all the rights to abuse pigs... In my opinion the pigs are more important than someone elses childeren, at least the animals don't know how to be cruel
- Tuesday, August 06, 2013
- Alafair Robicheaux said...
You are a completely evil monster how dare you do this to these gentle creatures who never asked for this. You are a Speciesist and no better than a racist. You probably will not approve my comment but you will have to live with yourself.
- Wednesday, September 04, 2013
disgusting! i really like your blog, but from time to time you have posts featuring furs and items made of animal parts. it's bad taste to promote these so-called artists, who exploit and hurt animals in order to produce their "art".
- Thursday, September 12, 2013
- C and W Marine Construction CO. said...
This is very disturbing. I feel sad after seeing this.
- Thursday, September 26, 2013
This is psychopathy. He is a sick person. There is nothing humane about the concept: He slaughters pigs for their skin & sells them & hires minions in a 3rd world country who never question ethics & morality & will do anything anyone asks them to for a pittance. The reason his "farm" is in China is because there are little- to no regulations on animal welfare rights there. They eat dogs in China & make human baby soup to eat & justify it by saying it gives sexual or healing powers for God's sake people! Hitler made lampshades out of human skin too. What's the difference here whether it's a pig's skin or a human's skin? It's all wrong.
- Monday, September 30, 2013
This is so bloody cruel can't u at least wait for the poor animal to die first before u tattoo the poor thing.
- Friday, November 22, 2013
The difference is a tattooed child will be impacted differently than a tattooed pig, in many different ways.
The child will eventually have to get a job, which may be impeded based upon the location and/or comment of the tattoo. The pig will not.
Do animals know regret? The child will grow, and may eventually wish they did not have the tattoo, a fairly common occurrence even in the consenting adults that choose to get inked. A pig could have the words "booger picker" tattooed across its face and would-be be the wiser.
As long as the pigs aren't harmed, and are well taken care off, I see no cruelty here.
- Wednesday, May 07, 2014
Not even good tattoos! Feel really sorry for the pigs, what an A***Hole!!!!
- Monday, June 02, 2014
- Unknown said...
Animals feel pain how is this not animal cruelty, they pin the animal down hold them down while a needle jabs the skin . Are you kidding me , for what this is a fucking joke.
- Tuesday, February 06, 2018


text:
This under-six-minutes TED talk by Sunni Brown looks at why and how we've looked down on doodling for centuries, and why research shows it can contribute to your audience's ability to take in and comprehend what you're saying. She wants to reframe your view of doodling so you see it as "an incredibly powerful tool." Her definition? "Doodling is to make spontaneous marks to help yourself think." She reviews how learners take in information, and what they retain, in a short talk that might just change your view of that doodling listener in the audience.
What's your view about audience doodling? Do you doodle in meetings or when you listen to speakers? Did the video change your views? Share them in the comments.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Features and Highlights
Product Reviews
Login or Register to write a review.
My backache has gone...
I have been using the Brighton mattress for a month now and I am glad I made a correct decision. I surfed the net for 3 months before finally deciding to buy the Brighton. I am very happy to have this wonderful mattress, which has helped me have a more deep sleep without tossing and turning. My backache has gone and I feel energized the whole day.
Thank you so much for producing a wonderful product.
Mumbai, India
The Brighton™
Take the pressure off with the Brighton™, which boasts a total of 12 inches of foam, This luxury mattress features 4 full inches of 5 pound pressure relieving, temperature sensitive memory foam, 6.5" of Ultracel™ U3000 ™ base foam for superior upper and lower back support, and a luxurious Belgian Damask that features CoolMax® by DuPont® fabric for cool, moisture-free sleep.
The Softcel™ Memory Foam, which was inspired using technology developed by NASA, reduces pressure off of key contact points, and significantly reduces motion transfer for a more restful night of sleep.
Optional Foundation & Custom Mattress Sizes
Complete your mattress set with a wood foundation made from Southern Yellow Pine. Foundations are available in both a 5" and 9" profile. To choose a foundation height either enter your preference in our Comments Box at checkout or call one of our sales reps to discuss and select the right foundation height for you.
In addition, Rocky Mountain Mattress can customize the 12" Brighton memory foam mattress to any custom mattress size. For more information on custom sizing please call us toll free at 1-866-733-3132.
Please note that any free item(s) offered by our current promotion will automatically be added to your order.
Price Starting At: $1,105.99
E-mail to a friend
Please complete this form.
All fields are required.
FREE shipping for limited time!
Our Beds
- Pomarelle 7"
- Sunrise 8"
- Cottonwood 9"
- Sundance 10"
- Palisades 11"
- Tamarack 12"
- Brighton 12"
- Cloudcroft 12"
- Rendezvous 14"
- Natural Latex 7"
- Natural Latex 9"
- Do It Yourself Mattresses
- Custom Mattresses
- RV Mattresses
- Boat Mattresses
- Memory Foam Toppers
- Natural Latex Toppers
- Memory Foam Pillows
- Natural Latex Pillows
- Mattress Covers
- Adjustable Beds
- Mattress Toppers
- Bedding & Linens
(Custom Sizes Avail.)


text:
We're down to our final two ETFs in our ETF Bracket Madness tournament, as the Fanatic Four battled it out last week. With so many underdogs making it through the ranks, it was anyone's game, and this week did not disappoint. Though neither match was as close as some may have originally anticipated, a nice upset made for what will be a unique final matchup between the Penultimate Pair. Get a refresher on the rules of the challenge.
The Fanatic Four
#1 (SPY, A) handily defeated the underdog #13 (IWF, A-) by a margin of 4 to 1. SPY lost in only the 3-Year Performance category, sweeping the rest. The #1 seed skated by to the final matchup, as expected, with its second major win of the tournament, but the second matchup did not pan out as many would have guessed.
#14 (VNQ, A+) destroyed the favorite #7 (QQQ, A-). In fact, the only category in which QQQ won was simply that it had a larger asset base; otherwise VNQ made a clean sweep. With the underdog sneaking into the final it seems to be a David and Goliath-like matchup with the largest ETF in the world and #1 seed taking on #14 VNQ.
The Penultimate Pair
It has all come down to #1 SPY and #14 VNQ, as some of the most popular funds in the world have faced defeat to the aforementioned products. SPY's appearance in the finals is not all that surprising, but seeing VNQ make an appearance certainly may have shaken up your bracket. It, in fact, would be a record performance for any #14 NCAA team to even make it to the final two teams remaining, making VNQ's run all the more impressive.
So how is your bracket coming along; did you call the big upsets? You can download an updated bracket below. Good luck with the final game!
Read the rules for the Bracket Challenge.
[For more ETF analysis, make sure to sign up for our free ETF newsletter or try a free seven-day trial to ETFdb Pro.]
Disclosure: No positions at time of writing.
Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com.
Read more posts on ETF Database »


text:
• The Antidote is available as an audiobook: Audible US | Audible UK | iTunes
"Takes every self-help book you've ever read and turns it inside out… a deeply insightful and entertaining book" – Héctor Tobar, Los Angeles Times
"A fascinating, wide-ranging exploration of negativity, positivity, failure, success and what it means to be happy.… This broad approach toward harnessing our 'negative capability' deserves wide readership; the author's nonprescriptive message has the potential to effect genuine, lasting changes for people who find happiness just out of reach" – Kirkus Reviews starred review
For a civilisation so fixated on achieving happiness, we seem remarkably incompetent at the task. Self-help books don't seem to work. Few of the many advantages of modern life seem capable of lifting our collective mood. Wealth – even if you can get it – doesn't necessarily lead to happiness. Romance, family life and work often seem to bring as much stress as joy. We can't even agree on what 'happiness' means. So are we engaged in a futile pursuit? Or are we just going about it in exactly the wrong way? What if it's our constant efforts to feel happy that are making us miserable?
In this fascinating new book, Oliver Burkeman introduces us to an unusual collection of people – experimental psychologists and Buddhists, terrorism experts, spiritual teachers, business consultants, philosophers – who share a single, surprising way of thinking about life. They argue that 'positive thinking' and relentless optimism aren't the solution, but part of the problem. And that there is an alternative, 'negative path' to happiness and success that involves embracing failure, pessimism, insecurity and uncertainty – those things we spend our lives trying to avoid. Thought-provoking, counter-intuitive and ultimately uplifting, The Antidote is a celebration of the power of negative thinking.
Visit the Oliver Burkeman channel on Canongate.tv
United Kingdom
How do you solve the problem of human happiness? It's a subject that has occupied some of the greatest philosophers of all time, from Aristotle (in his Nicomachean Ethics) to Paul McKenna (in his Change Your Life In Seven Days: The World's Leading Hypnotist Shows You How). But how do we sort the good ideas from the terrible ones? Over the past few years, Oliver Burkeman has travelled to some of the strangest outposts of the 'happiness industry' in an attempt to find out. In Help!, the first collection of his popular Guardian Weekend magazine columns, Burkeman presents his findings. It's a witty and thought-provoking exploration that punctures many of self-help's most popular myths, while also offering clear-headed, practical and often counterintuitive advice on a range of subjects, from stress, procrastination and insomnia to wealth, laughter, time management and creativity. It doesn't claim to have solved the problem of human happiness. But it might just bring us one step closer.
"The Antidote is a gem. Countering a self-help tradition in which "positive thinking" too often takes the place of actual thinking, Oliver Burkeman returns our attention to several of philosophy's deeper traditions and does so with a light hand and a wry sense of humor. You'll come away from this book enriched – and, yes, even a little happier."
Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind and Drive
"Burkeman balances the ideas of the deepest thinkers, thoughts on mortality, and his own foray into Buddhist meditation with tremendously funny anecdotes… [his] ability to present sentiments in fresh, delightfully sarcastic packaging will appeal to the happy, the unhappy, and those who have already found a peaceful middle ground."
Publishers Weekly
"A marvellous synthesis of good sense, which would make a bracing detox for the self-help junkie"
Julian Baggini, The Guardian
"Quietly subversive, beautifully written, persuasive and profound, Oliver Burkeman's book will make you think – and smile."
Alex Bellos, author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland
"Addictive, wise and very funny. Burkeman never takes himself too seriously, but the rest of us should."
Tim Harford, author of Adapt and The Undercover Economist
"This is a genuinely useful book; Burkeman is not in the business of pouring automatic scorn; he really does want us to become slightly happier...you won't need to read another self-help book again"
Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian


text:
Earlier in the season, Julius Thomas admitted that he watches film of the game's other top tight ends each week, examining what works and what doesn't for them, and looking for new things to add to his own repertoire. Rob Gronkowski. Jimmy Graham. Jason Witten. You name 'em, Thomas has studied them.
But there's one, he said Wednesday, who stands out more than the others. One he's studied more closely over the years and one who has a similar background.
"I've watched (Antonio) Gates probably more than I've watched any other NFL football player ever," Thomas told The Denver Post after the Broncos' practice Wednesday. "One thing I think he really does well is he sets up his defender. When you watch him and you really pay attention to it, you see that he's working to win his route before he even heads in that direction. A lot of the stuff he does is he changes speed, and some people say his change of direction, that's when you're in the route. But I look at his change of speed throughout the route — how he's making the defender believe one thing and doing another thing. Or he won't allow the defender to be sure of what he's doing because of his pace, of his stride length. I think that he's one of the best players in the game of creating separation."
Read more…


text:
Play podcasts with iPod
If you haven't heard of it by now, podcasting is the new generation of entertainment media that allows listeners to subscribe to radio-style shows available on the Internet that get downloaded to their computers automatically. It's like listening to a radio show on demand.
With podcasts, you're no longer strapped with having to wake up early, stay up late, or hunker down at work or in class with headphones on just to catch a radio show—you can choose when and where to listen to shows. With iTunes 4.9 and later, you can browse for podcasts, preview episodes, subscribe to and download podcasts, play them, and sync them to your iPod for play while you're on the go.
Rather than scour the web, you can find tons of podcasts to subscribe to (for free!) in the iTunes Store.
Podcasts come in a lot of varieties—everything from glossy news, music, or talk shows to verbal blogs from regular folks from around the globe. The ones offered on the iTunes Store are free, but others may charge a subscriber fee. You'll find professionally created podcasts from major broadcasters (such as ESPN, NPR, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, and Disney), shows from known personalities (including Rick Steves, Ebert & Roeper, the Simpsons, and Adam Curry), and plenty of stuff from lesser knowns who are finding new celebrity in this new medium. For more information about podcasts, be sure to visit our Podcasting page.
iTunes displays podcasts you've downloaded in the Podcasts section in the Source pane too, making finding them easy. Just choose Podcasts in the iTunes Source pane to view the pane. Of course, if you haven't subscribed to any podcasts, your list will be empty, but it doesn't have to stay that way for long. One of the best sources to find podcasts is none other than the iTunes Store, and these podcast subscriptions won't cost you a penny.
Browse, Preview, Subscribe to, and Play Podcasts
To find, preview, subscribe to, download, and play a podcast from the iTunes Store and then copy it to your iPod, do this:
- In the Podcasts pane in iTunes, click the "Podcast Directory" link at the bottom part of the iTunes window. The iTunes Store opens in your iTunes window, displaying a selection of podcasts.
- If any podcast displayed or listed on the podcast homepage catches your eye, you can click it to access it. Or browse for podcasts by typing a word or words in the "Search iTunes Store" field in the upper-right corner of iTunes, clicking a category of interest from the Categories list below search, or clicking the item in the CATEGORIES list in the right-column. For browsing purposes, click the "Comedy" link under CATEGORIES.
- You'll see podcast listings organized by provider, popularity, release dates, and other helpful categories in the resulting window. Scope out the contents. Then click on any show name or graphic that catches your eye to view its details.
- A typical podcast's page includes details such as the show name, description, subscription fee (if any—most say "Free"), and associated website (if applicable). It'll also list all available podcast episodes. To preview an episode, choose one from the list and double-click it. Most will provide a 1 minute, 30 second preview of the show. Others will stream the whole show to you. Listen to as many previews as you like. If you see an "i" icon next to an episode description, you can click it to reveal more details about the show.
- When you find a podcast that you like and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button. A dialog opens, asking if you're sure that you want to subscribe. If that is your intent, click Subscribe.
To subscribe to a podcast, simply click its Subscribe button in any page.
- iTunes downloads the most recent episode and will automatically download future episodes whenever you open iTunes. To view your new subscription, choose Podcasts in the Source pane. If the individual episodes aren't displayed, click the disclosure triangle to the left of the podcast name to reveal them. If an episode is dimmed, it hasn't been downloaded to your computer (these are older episodes); if you want it, click the Get button next to it.
- To play a podcast in iTunes, simply double-click the episode to hear it.
- To copy a podcast to your iPod, either enable podcast syncing or drag any episode to your iPod icon in the Source pane.
Voice Your Own Podcast
If you're looking to break into the broadcasting industry or simply want to take blogging (or your opinions) to an audible worldwide level, consider creating your own podcast. All you need is a computer with recording software to capture your talent, a server to host the file, and a little imagination and planning.
Whether you use GarageBand or other audio recording software, you can create your own podcast without much effort.
If you're using a Mac and have GarageBand, you can easily create your own podcast complete with music, pictures, and web links. We provide some guidance, tips, and instruction on our "GarageBand: Recording Your Podcast" page. You can also use QuickTime 7 Pro; see "Creating Podcasts with QuickTime 7 Pro" for instructions.
If you're a Windows users, you can follow the same instructions for GarageBand but substitute your preferred audio recording application for GarageBand (the concepts and principles are the same). Or follow the same instructions for QuickTime 7 Pro.


text:
GOODNIGHT MOON Children's Musical Plays ZACH, Now thru 3/23
ZACH - Austin's Theatre and Texas' longest running theatre, presents Goodnight Moon, adapted from the book Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd, featuring book, music, and lyrics by Chad Henry.
Step into the great green room as one of the most iconic children's books of all time is brought to life. In this lively musical about children's imaginations at bedtime, Bunny's room magically comes alive with stunning puppetry, tap dancing bears, and even a trip through the night sky with a constellation light show. For ages 3 and up.
ZACH's Education Director Nat Miller says: "Goodnight Moon is one of the most elaborate productions ZACH has done for young people. It is a book that spans generations, and we are all excited for families to see it brought to life on our stage. The whole set comes alive with puppetry and spectacle. I saw the production at the Seattle Children's Theatre, where it was developed, and it was magical. More than 9,000 pre-k through second grade students will be attending ZACH's production of Goodnight Moon, many of them seeing theatre for the very first time. I think this show will not only engage them, but also get them hooked as patrons of theatre and the arts and be an enjoyable experience for parents and teachers as well."
ZACH's production features an all-star cast: JILL BLACKWOOD, AMY DOWNING, FRANK NAPPI, and Biscuit Brothers member JEROME SCHOOLAR.
Puppet Design by TAYLOR HARRISON · Set Design by STEPHANIE BUSING · Costume Design by ELISE ROMERO · Music Direction by ALLEN ROBERTSON · Lighting Design by MATT WEBB · Sound Design by CRAIG BROCK
Performances take place on ZACH's intimate Kleberg Stage, 1421 West Riverside Drive (corner of Riverside Dr. and S. Lamar Blvd.). Goodnight Moon premieres February 2, 2013, and performances continue through March 23, 2013. Public Family Shows: Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
To order tickets call 512-476-0541 ext. 1 or visit www.zachtheatre.org. Children's tickets are $14, and adult tickets are $16. Concessions will be open one hour before showtime. Drinks welcome inside the theatre.
ZACH Theatre is Austin's leading professional producing theatre, employing more than 600 actors, musicians, and designers annually. Founded in 1932, ZACH is the longest running theatre company in Texas, serving 95,000 adults and youth annually. ZACH creates its own nationally recognized plays and musicals that ignite the imagination, lift the spirit, and engage the community under the proven leadership of Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley and Managing Director Elisbeth Challener. Launching its 80th season in 2012, ZACH continues to expand and engage with Austin, adding the new 420-seat, 32,000-square-foot Topfer Theatre to its performing arts campus, nearly doubling ZACH's capacity while retaining its hallmark intimate theatre-going experience.


text:
At Wentworth, Inc., we pride ourselves on quality and excellence in design, craftsmanship, and construction. We are seeking new talent to add to our award-winning design-build team.
Carpentry Jobs Available Near McLean, VA
Carpentry is an important part of the home remodeling work we do for local homeowners. This is why we are looking for an experienced and talented carpenter in the area to join us.
Lead Carpenter
Wentworth seeks a qualified and skilled lead carpenter with 10 years of experience. The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented self-starter who consistently meets deadlines with minimal supervision. The ability to manage projects in a "hands-on" manner is critical, as our lead carpenters interact with homeowners, in-house crews, and subcontractors. Candidates must have:
- Comprehensive knowledge of building and carpentry methods/techniques, as well as the ability to demonstrate consistency
- 10 years or more of carpentry experience (lead carpenter experience is highly preferred)
- Excellent carpentry and project management skills
- The ability to lead and mentor crews and apprentice carpenters
- The ability to oversee, manage, and schedule subcontractors and suppliers
- Their own transportation and valid driver's license
We work primarily inside the Capital Beltway (I-495)—including DC, Northern Virginia, and Montgomery County, Maryland.
Carpenter's Apprentice
We also seek a skilled and motivated carpenter's apprentice. Candidates must have reliable transportation and be dependable, punctual, responsible, and willing to work and learn. Team players are a must.
Contact Us Today for a Carpenter Position
For both positions, Wentworth offers:
- Competitive compensation
- Paid holidays
- Vacation time
- A health plan
Qualified applicants should send resumes and references to email@example.com. We'd love to talk with you about our open positions job opportunities.
Working with Wentworth, you'll get to truly make a difference in someone's home, helping transform it from ordinary to extraordinary! Get in touch with us to learn more about the carpentry jobs we are offering near the McLean area—please email us.


text:
English Rugby
Beaumont sets sights on RFU chairman role
ESPNscrum Staff
January 12, 2012
Bill Beaumont is a favourite to take on the role of RFU chairman © Getty Images
Former England and British & Irish Lions captain Bill Beaumont has confirmed that he will apply to become the next chairman of the Rugby Football Union.
The 59-year-old, who was recently defeated in a bid to become chairman of the International Rugby Board, has set his sights on taking over from RFU vice-president Paul Murphy, who was appointed acting chairman in July after former boss Martyn Thomas stood down in the wake of the highly-critical Blackett review.
"I will allow my name to go forward," he told BBC Radio 4. "If people within the union feel that I could do a good job, then I think so as well. I don't know if being a former top player qualifies you to be good at administration. But I'd like to think that I've got something to offer."
Capped 34 times by England between 1975 and 1982, Beaumont added: "I wouldn't say that I'm the favourite. There's no doubt there'll be a lot of good people who'll fancy their chances as well. It goes to a nominations process and I will allow my name to go forward if people in the union deem that suitable."
Beaumont, who had served on the IRB Board since 1999 before losing out to Bernard Lapasset for the top job and his vice-chairman position to South Africa's Oregan Hoskins, believes it is a great time to be at the heart of English rugby.
"It's exciting times," he said. "Certainly after the World Cup, I think the squad needed to break up. A lot of experienced players have served England extremely well in the past, but you've got to look to the future. These are exciting times to move forward. We've got a build-up to a World Cup in 2015, which will be absolutely outstanding, but there are a lot of important decisions to be made before that happens."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Communication error please reload the page.


text:
Infographic Success Drives Mobile App Development
InfoNewt client, Buckfire & Buckfire, has seen so much success from their infographic online and the subsequent infographic wallet card program based on the Motorcycle Helmet Laws infographic, it prompted them to develop a dedicated smartphone app to provide the same information to motorcycle riders.
"The idea for the Motorcycle Helmet Laws App came from the tremendous interest we experienced with the creation of our State by State Motorcycle Helmet Laws Infographic, which visually displayed the helmet law requirements in every state in the United States," says Partner and Attorney Lawrence Buckfire. "As a free resource to bikers, we created the App to provide motorcyclists with the helmet law requirements for every geographic part of their trip."
You can see the original infographic here.
Back in 2012, they created a simple plastic wallet card based on the infographic that anyone could request for free. They printed and distributed thousands of the wallet cards to riders and riding organizations across the U.S. This drove the interest and demand for a smartphone app that would be easier to distribute to riders across the country. Now anyone can download the free smartphone app on their own, which arrives instantly instead of a week later by mail, and Buckfire avoids the cost of printing and mailing the cards.
The app also includes a number of additional functions like GPS bike finder, accident checklist, photo gallery of cool helmet designs and discounts at some of your favorite bike shops across the country. You can also watch a demo video of the smartphone app on the Backfire & Buckfire site.
The app is now available for both iOS (iPhone, iPad and iPod) and Android devices.


text:
Reversible Leather Belt
Free Shipping & Returns on All U.S. Orders. See Details
- Polished logo-detailed gunmetal-tone buckle. Leather-inset keeper.
- Tonal topstitching.
- 1.25"/3cm width (approximately).
- Available in Black/Dark Brown.
- Leather.
- Made in Italy.
Need Help? Have Questions? Contact Us.
Please call 1.888.222.7639 to speak with a Customer Service Representative.
We're here to help you:
Monday - Friday, 9 AM - 9 PM (ET)
Saturday - Sunday, 10:30 AM - 7 PM (ET)
If you prefer email, we can be reached anytime at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Free Shipping & Returns on All U.S. Orders. See DetailsUnfortunately, this item cannot be shipped internationally.


text:
Opinion: The Obamaian Universe
Columnist Dan Henninger on President Obama's conception of the economy and the place of government and the private sector.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... deconstructing what the Pope were also in deconstructing a work ... of our own President Barack Obama was banned in public life national life now ... for many many years only keep Wonderland Columnist Dan Henninger here on the set ... to discuss his column ... on prison Obama ... D and youth in writing a series now ... on on the president what makes him tick Publicis field ... Obama mine in the economy the Bottom Line universe minute alternative humans alternate universe ... he will first of all what is the Obama mine universe ... well the Obama mine universe is like the one that predated Copernicus one of the everybody thought that all the planets revolved around the earth ... we now know that that's false ... but some early I think ... Barack Obama seems to think that everything in the private sector large corporations mom and pop stores ... everything out there through balls around ... the public spending ... and is raw Washington's sending out these like forces into the country to allow it to survive ... he literally believes that public spending has this kind of life forces energy force for the United States ... and ... I'm not trying to talk really hearing kind of weird scientific ... his science fiction terms ... I've been writing these columns because I believe we have to start taking Barack Obama at his word ... on the one hand yes he's quite a political animal the knees trying to marginalize the Republicans but it is not simply politics ... this president I think is more different than any in the living memory I think even Franklin Roosevelt ... understood the legitimacy and and purpose of the private sector ... Barack Obama regards the private sector as abstractions simply something out there that processes tax revenue into that ... of Washington so that this this vending machine ... this magic force can raise up the country ... he does not want to cut spending you know the the the the calm not today it's on WS J dot com I encourage everybody ... to read it ... talks about this concept of the economy that the previous columns of also talked about his method of implementing this ... this vision of the economy I especially love Obama in the thundered home ... um what do we need to understand about ... how he thinks about engaging in politics ... well one of the points is being made a lot in the sequester plague is that of Brock Obama has spent Berkeley mill time engaging in Congress that humans with him well with with with the elected representatives of people or in the Congress the estate instead he runs around the country making speeches all the time ... and I think ... Obama again is a kind of populist president of a tight that the United States is not seen in a long time ... his idea politics is to go out and ... gather all this great populist force of public opinion ... and ride it against his opposition in this case the Republicans ... rather than engage them at all in any kind of political process ... honestly area they has more in common with what we often seen in South American politics than in North American politics ... this kind of called the personnel of these very populist force that kind of thing ... that we're quite ears the political class ... to recognize that and do what his business and some that I can tell what motivated you to rate this series of conflicts ... well I think it's just me mainly because we have to strike to ... come to grips with and understand the kind of presidency that we're doing we're only here in the second or third month of the second term ... and I am willing to take Obama at his word that is going to be a different kind of presidency in if the United States is going to get through this second term ... on his term shall I say then we have to understand why he engages in politics the way he does why he thinks he's different than I think if we ... acknowledge that ... the end of ... the political class middle of the rest of the country in business or try to adjust ... to his policies will have a ... hopefully a better time at the head of doing that first you have to acknowledge that you have a problem then you