u, World eman SPECIAL REPORT he works in Southfield. He's a veterinarian in Dearborn. So when Dr. Claude and Linda Curry found a lovely 2 story, 4 bedroom colonial on a 1-acre lot halfway between the two cities, they bought it and moved in. S Election from page 29 It wasn't long before they called Gittleman. "Twelve years ago we added a great room, a bedroom and a master bath," recalled Linda. Then, Iwo children were still at home. Now. the family dog Murphy, three cats and frequently visiting grandchildren enjoy the original improvements as well as those just done—a whole new kitchen and powder room—by Gittleman, of course. "The first job was such a great experience," said Linda, it went like clockwork." When it came time to renovate again, the Curry's hoped history would repeat itself and it did. "Scott came up with a great design," said Linda, now delighted to be cooking in her new, gorgeous granite kitchen with maple cabinets, a center island and a new powder room nearby. "We are very pleased," she said. So, next time you find the perfect compromise location and a neighborhood you love, count on Gittleman, again and again, to help your home evolve to what it needs to be. JUST ASK THE CURRY'S. Gc GITTLEMAN CONSTRUCTION Inc 28580 ORCHARD LAKE RD., SUITE 102 FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48334 248.538.5400 www.gittleman.net IMO!? PLANNING ADVISORS "Vour Elder Planning Specialists" Established by Our Family to Help Seniors Who are Searching for the "Safe Money Advisor," & to Provide "Safe Retirement Planning." Retirement planning can give you the life you have always deserved. •Zero Market Risk with Market Linked Gains • Risk Management, Tax and Estate Planning • Focused Exclusively on Seniors • Reduce Taxations • Preserve Assets • Increase Income Call for Your FREE Customized Retirement Plan Fran Tarkenton CEO & Co-Founder Tarkenton Financial, LLC 248.685.8888 an authorizes representative of TARKENTONFINANCIAL Kirk M. Cassidy License #0360557 it National Insurance alarketing Company "The Safe Money Advisors" 30 January 12 • 2006 7 (:, 644 8 C , Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sits next to Ariel Sharon's empty chair during an emergency Cabinet meeting on Jan. 5. state's permanent borders. A legendary and controversial gen- eral, as prime minister since early 2001 Sharon was instrumental in defeating the Palestinian intifada. Despite a reputation as a hard-liner, he appeared to have undergone a pro- found ideological transformation in recent years and pulled Israeli settle- ments out of the Gaza Strip last sum- mer, giving the Palestinians a testing ground for autonomy and creating a new window of opportunity for the peace process. Many believed Sharon would initi- ate a similar withdrawal from most of the West Bank if elected to a third term. With Sharon no longer the domi- nant force setting the election agenda, all the leading parties are likely to build competing leadership teams. Olmert's team probably will include Livni and Peres. On Jan. 6, he began political talks with Peres in an appar- ent effort to agree on the former Labor prime minister's place in the new Kadima set-up. In Labor, Peretz may try to bring in former Prime Minister Ehud Barak as his No. 2 to boost his security and for- eign policy credentials. He also is des- perately trying to persuade Peres to return to Labor. For his part, Olmert may well try to lure Barak, a close personal friend, to Kadima. HOW this post-Sharon fallout settles could decide the election. Trailing in the polls, Netanyahu can- not be ruled out altogether. Another former prime minister, he could pick up support at the expense of rivals who lack Sharon's political heft. Netanyahu's leadership ticket will include Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, and he will try to persuade ex-Likudniks who joined Kadima, including Mofaz and Cabinet minister Tzachi Hanegbi, to return to the fold. Netanyahu also will allow Likud Cabinet ministers, who were to resign Jan. 8, to remain in government. The resignation was meant to signal a break with Sharon and his policies; the decision to stay is intended to highlight the stature of Likud's leader- ship team. Despite the %Nrall-to-wall support Olmert seems to enjoy, he still could encounter problems within Kadima. Drawing up the party's Knesset list could prove a minefield. Sharon had the authority to do this more or less as he pleased, but Olmert will have to tread carefully, and will risk flak from people who feel they have been placed too low on the list. If the results of the current polls hold up and Kadima wins the elec- tion, will Olmert or some other Kadima leader be able to further Sharon's groundbreaking withdrawal from territory the Palestinians demand? Under Sharon, the idea would have been to reach agreement on this with the Palestinians and — sabsent an agreement — to get inter- national sanction for new borders Israel would set on its own. Whether an alternative Israeli leadership will be able to proceed in this vein is perhaps the most impor- tant political question in a post- Sharon era. Along with Sharon's medical condition, it's this question, more than any other, that is troubling Israel, the region and the interna- tional community.