the point - Association of Professional Piercers

FROM THE EDITOR
I am very pleased to be able to bring you this issue of The Point
focusing on the first APP Conference in Mexico which took place
this past February 1st through 3rd in Mexico City. In addition
to regular content, this issue spotlights reflections on the Mexico
conference from its organizer, instructors, translators, and participants
from Mexico and the United States. Responses from the
speakers at Conference are presented in both English and Spanish,
as this issue will be the first to be distributed to attendees
throughout Mexico.
One of my goals in taking over as Editor (in fact, one of my
reasons for joining the Board) was to help us to take a look at ourselves,
to turn our collective gaze inward, to examine who we are
and what role we play in the larger culture. In order to determine
where we’re going, it’s not enough anymore to simply know where
we’ve been — we must be comfortable knowing who we are.
As anyone who has done a bit of traveling knows; when in a
different country, a successful trip is one on which you learn
as much about yourself as you do about the culture you’re
immersed in, and quite often more. I think all of us coming from
the US were greatly affected by the conference and its participants.
We saw a passion, an enthusiasm, and a thirst for knowledge
that, while embodied by piercers in the United States, is often
difficult for us to see. Whether it is because we are too close
to it, or whether these qualities are easily overshadowed by our
perceived differences, it’s hard to say. Perhaps we often feel that
we’ve come to accord on the big issues, so we focus on hashing
out – and being divided by – the details. Maybe we take our
community for granted.
In Mexico, I was reminded of what it is I love so much about
this industry, and the people who make their livelihood from it.
I’m very much looking forward to next year, and to remembering
and recreating this feeling in Las Vegas.
I would like to thank all who contributed to this issue, but
especially Jason Pfohl (from Gorilla Glass) and Ron Garza for
images, Ana Paula Escalante for translations and editing help
and, most importantly, Danny Yerna for making this conference
happen.
James Weber
Medical Liaison
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
PRESIDENT’S CORNER / IN THE OFFICE OF THE APP
LEGISLATION IN THE TWIN CITIES
INTERVIEW WITH ADORN
THE MISSING NOSTRIL JEWELRY
CARTILAGE COMPLICATIONS
HOW TO HANDLE PRICE SHOPPERS
APP MEXICO CONFERENCE
A LITTLE CUBAN BOY’S PERCEPTION
OF THE STATE OF BODY PIERCING IN MEXICO
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THE POINT
The Quarterly Journal of the
Association of Professional Piercers
APP BOARD MEMBERS
Alicia Cardenas ; President
April Johnson : Vice President
Christina Shull : Secretary
Phish Goldblatt : Outreach Coordinator
Luis Garcia : International Liaison
James Weber : Medical Liaison
APP Administrator:
Caitlin McDiarmid
The mission of the Association of Professional Piercers
is to circulate vital health, safety
and education information.
The Point is copyrighted under federal law. Any reproduction
of its contents is prohibited without written
permission.
Material submitted for publication is subject to editing.
Submissions must be in a digital format, and should be
sent via e-mail to medical@safepiercing.org.
THE POINT is not responsible for claims made by
our advertisers. However, we reserve the right to reject
advertising that is unsuitable for our publication.
EDITOR : James Weber
ARTICLES EDITOR : Megg Mass
ASSISTING EDITOR : Caitlin McDiarmid
ART DIRECTION : Paul A. Romano
DESIGN & LAYOUT : Jon Loudon
ADVERTISING : medical@safepiercing.org
Cover image of Jason Pfohl
by Dante Busquets and Victor Hendiola,
courtesy Jason Pfohl and Gorilla Glass
Association of Professional Piercers
1-888-888-1APP
www.safepiercing.org
info@safepiercing.org
Donations to The Point
are always appreciated.