
Russian mafia tombstones
At Yekaterinburg cemetery, the city in which Boris Yeltsin was born, you can find these hyper-realistic illustrations of Russian capo mafia figures on their grave stones. The costs of having your own Russian mafia-style gravestone ranges from $8,000 to $250,000. Perhaps not surprisingly, the administrators behind Ukraine’s Dnepropetrovsk cemetery have recently announced that they now offer the same service.

Tagged: Russian mafia tombstones, Ukraine, Yekaterinburg
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Over the past six months we’ve featured photos from filmmakers Stuart McBratney and Julia Nalivaiko, who’ve been gallivanting around Russia and Ukraine filming Back in the Soviet Bloc. They’ve finally released a trailer, and it’s amazing to see these images come to life. Check it out on their Kickstarter page, and order a DVD to help them complete the project.

Back in the Soviet Bloc: photos of Russia and Ukraine
A month ago we posted stills from Back in the Soviet Bloc, a TV series about present-day life, culture and food in former Soviet states. Read more

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Since leaving her Ukrainian homeland 14 years ago, Julia Nalivaiko is often asked, ‘What’s it like?. To answer the curious masses, she’s returned to Ukraine and Russia with Australian filmmaker Stuart McBratney to document the people, culture and food. They’re currently halfway through their 8-week shoot, and are posting video stills from the road. Here’s a sneak peak. For more pics, check out their Facebook page, and click “like” to receive updates. Read more
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Rinkya survival gear for cats and dogs
It is known that the Japanese are very passionate about robotic pets, but now they’re also orried about their real pets in case of an earthquake. The new Rinkya survival gear for cats and dogs is not only a shiny vest for Lassie, but is also flame resistant. It includes small bags with water and cookies for your beloved pet to have something to chew while you run away from the disaster area. But that’s not all. The survival gear also includes a set of aromatherapy oils to help your pet to relax during a disaster. It costs 38,000 yen (approximately 375 dollars) via Rinkya Stores.

Clocky is an alarm clock that notices if you don’t wake up and starts moving all over your bedroom so you won’t be able to catch it and turn the alarm off. Its main intention is to hide and keep ringing untl you wake up. This tinny alarm clock has two all-terrain wheels that can endure all surfaces.
Only in Japan? Perhaps. The Japanese Bug Fights website promotes real bug fights, with combatants such as scorpions, spiders, mantis and giant beetles. The rules are simple: only two bugs must be engaged in the fight. External weapons are not allowed and the fight lasts till one of opponents dies. Hmmm. Read more
YOU'RE SAYING (3)
Agneta said | 31 July, 2009
When I was in Russia (ok years ago, Soviet-time but anyway) verybody sported to long sleeves. Some had even lengthened the sleeves by stitching on extra fabric. Weird. But maybe som of the old die-hards (ehrm) still carry on this style?
Agneta said | 31 July, 2009
sorry, typos. I meant: “everybody” “too”
HAVE YOUR SAY
Jessica Allan is working as a freelance illustrator in Shoreditch. Her work is a mixture of screen prints, etchings and mixed media, and she is inspired by dreams, narrative, meditation, Mexico, Japanese patterns, Aubrey Beardsley and M.C.Escher. Read more
I don’t eat cookies, so good thing Cookie Boy’s cookies are little pieces of art too pretty and cute to eat. Read more
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This is a house near Adelaide by architect Max Pritchard designed like a bridge (it’s actually built over a creek) to feel airy and unobtrusive in the surrounding nature. Read more
Anyone who has worked in publishing, or even people who just really love magazines should check out MagCulture, a blog about editorial design.
I have known Hayden for almost twenty years. He has always released quality music and that is why he can wait four years between releases and his fans are still there. His latest album — In Field & Town — went straight into heavy rotation in our home and I think will extend his fan base further than even he might like.
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Pitched as ‘Ulterior Motives in Contemporary Art’, Disorder Disorder is running until November 14 at Penrith Regional Gallery. It’ll be well worth the trip out west of Sydney: the Australian, Japanese, American and European cast reads like a warriors of street art roundup and includes Mike Giant, Ed Templeton, Anthony Lister [artwork above], Ozzie Wright, and Jonathan Zawada. Read more

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Honest Food Preparation Instructions
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French unisex customized army jackets, each one is slightly different and unique. Embroidered by hand in Berlin with hands and microphone lead logo. As worn by Pixie Geldof. Yup! It is. Read more
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Piers Fawkes said | 18 July, 2009
I just like the fact that the guy at the top’s jacket is too big for him (check the sleeves) and even when they did his portait they kept that detail in rather than make it the right length