The Russian blogosphere conveniently, if bafflingly, revolves around LJ. Each week, RUSSIA! scans the chatter and brings you the top five topics.

• This week, the works of Russian artist Gregory Yushchenko appeared in a community for badly drawn art. Yushchenko creates "advertisements" for narcotics by sloppily mauling film posters with paint until swirly, google-eyed junkies emerge in all their colorful ugliness with slogans like: "St Petersburg Mushrooms - drop out and stay there. Don't know where to get it? Just ask us!" "Tired of life? Get way loaded - into autopilot!" and "You will see tanks under your blanket!" The post attracts grumbling response from those who don't see the satire and randomness from those who can't stay on topic - "Is Eric Clapton still alive?" [Григорием Ющенко]

• In her latest installment of fashion history blogging, Galina Radkovna presents an illustrated discussion of children's fashion in the Soviet Union and its changes, like the great braid cutting epidemic of the 1970s. She also acquaints readers with ways the youth battled the anonymity of those drab, brown school uniforms. The boys would spruce the suits up in minimalist ways (Galina remembers one boy defiantly writing "jeans" on his school slacks in pen) and the older girls got into a habit of shortening their maid-uniform-looking frocks to risque heights of... mid-thigh. One commenter reminisces on even higher uniform-skirt fashions and the accidental displays by the blackboard: "It was beautiful... but rare." Bonus: a terrible 70s nostalgia-inducing music video. ["Эх, прокачу!" - Детская одежда в СССР: Часть VI.]

• Doctor/blogger botalex analyzes the current Russian death statistics. Apparently, most kids die from drowning, 90% of poisonings are alcoholic and last year there were 1.6 times more successful suicides than homicides. You'd think that last part would get everyone, but no - one commenter chimes in: "The death by lung inflammation number seems kind of high to me. I didn't suspect it was that bad. I thought it was a regular disease - a little fever, some pills and shots. Two little weeks and back to duty." Oh, that Russian skepticism. [ОТ ЧЕГО ПОМИРАТЬ В РОССИИ?]

• Blogger vbelchenko lets us know that Putin is apparently a column writer now. His latest (well, ok... second) article appears in Russian Pioneer and it's all about how to fire people. Putin suggests to do it personally, don't go on hearsay ("careful... sometimes complicated political battles are afoot") and that sure, the next guy will be as clueless as the one before, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Response: the usual rag/rave war about Putin's awesomeness/awfulness. [Удивительно, что он вообще кого-то увольняет]

• Blogger Fritz Morgen informs us that the average salary in Moscow is 75% greater than in other parts of the country. A published letter form the Ministry of Labor suggests that Muscovites are thus being compensated for the "degree of harmfulness" - traffic jams, constant relocations, air pollution, social tension, and high price of living make Moscow... not so comfortable. Once again, a simple explanation sets off a storm of bitter arguing, set off by dreamy comments like "If only we can your great salaries in our great city..." and "We deserve street booths that give out free milk and red wine." [Московские зарплаты]