The Week
With rare exceptions, the rockets from Gaza fell silent.
In Russia, Sports and Oil Mix
Russians are watching a tale of two oil moguls with apt cynicism. As part of Vladimir Putin's effort to tighten his grip on Russia's energy resources, the state-owned gas monopoly Gazprom agreed to pay oligarch Roman Abramovich, 38, a whopping $13 billion for his oil group, Sibneft (the government now controls nearly a third of the country's oil). The fate of Abramovich, Russia's richest man, contrasts sharply with that of another former oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was convicted in May of tax evasion and fraud after Russia nationalized his Yukos oil company. The difference? Abramovich spent his profits on sports, buying London's Chelsea soccer club, while Khodorkovsky pumped his bucks into (opposition) Russian politics.
Abramovich is now sitting on billions, and Khodorkovsky is sitting in prison.
Sick Puppies: a New Flu in Town
As if bird flu isn't bad enough, now you have to worry about your dog. Scientists are warning that a highly contagious canine flu is starting to make the rounds. But don't panic. "People should be aware but not have undue fear, because the vast majority of dogs will recover," says Cynda Crawford, an immunologist at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and lead author of a study on canine flu in Science. The most common symptom: a persistent cough, sometimes accompanied by a runny nose and fever. (Call the vet if your pup coughs for more than a day; the key is to catch the bug early, so it doesn't turn into pneumonia.) Researchers believe the virus jumped to dogs from horses, who have suffered from a similar flu for 40 years; there are no documented cases of people catching the infection, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is keeping close track. How can you protect your pooch? Advises Crawford: Take common-sense precautions like using clean kennels that check disease history, and scrubbing your hands and changing your clothes if you come in contact with other dogs, because humans can be unwitting carriers. A vaccine could be available in two to three years.
The best treatment for pups in the meantime, says Crawford: lots of fluids and foot-of-the bed rest.
Righteous Passing
Righteous passing. Judge and civil rights lawyer Constance Baker Motley (right), with former client Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta, in 1965, died last week at 84.
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